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J  I 

THE  I  Q  C 


JERSEY,  r.. 

ALDERNEY,  AND  GUERNSEY    *'^' 


COW: 


THEIR  HISTORY,  NATURE  AND  MANAGEMENT. 


SHOWING   HOW  TO  CHOOSE  A  GOOD   COW;   HOW  TO  FEED,  TO 
MANAGE,  TO  MILK,  AND  TO  BREED  TO  THE  MOST  PROFIT. 

EDITED,    FROM   THE   WRITIN'CS    OF 

EDWARD    P.  P.  FOWLER,  GEO.  E.  WARING,  Jr.,  CHARLES  L.  SHARPLESS, 

PROF.  JOHN  GAMGEE,  C.  P.  LE  CORNU,  COL.  LE  COUTEUR,  PROF. 

MAGNE,   FR.  GUENON,  DR.  TWADDELL,  and  Others, 


By  WILLIS   R  HAZARD, 

Author  of  "How  to  Srlfxt  Cows,  or   the   Guenon  System   Explained,"  "On 
BuriEK  AND  Buttek-making,"  "Annals  of  Philadelphia, "  etc.;  Vice- 
President   Pennsylvania  State   Dairymen's  Association; 
Guenon  Commissioner  of   Pennsylvania;    Presi- 
dent of  Chad's  Ford  Farmers'  Club,  etc. 


TENTH    EDITION. 


ILLUSTRA  TED. 


PHILADELPHIA : 

PORTER    AND    COATES. 


Entered  according  to  Act  of  Congress,  in  the  year  1872,  by 
PORTER  &  COATES,  ' 

In  the  Office  of  the  Librarian  of  Congress,  at  Washington. 


xmx 


Westcott  &  Thomson  Sherman  &  Co., 

Stereotypcrs.  P-rinters. 


PREFATORY. 


It  has  been  wittily  and  wisely  said,  ''  It  Is  a  good  thing 
to  live  In  the  country,"  to  which  may  more  safely  be 
added,  "  It  is  a  good  thing  to  have  a  first-rate  cow/' 
Though  it  is  rapidly  being  proved  that  cows  of  the 
Jersey  and  Guernsey  breeds  rank  as  first-rate  for  rich- 
ness of  milk  and  cream,  for  quantity  and  high  quality 
of  butter,  for  easy  keeping  qualities  and  for  delicacy 
of  meat,  there  yet  seemed  a  want  of  a  work  which 
proves  all  these  excellent  qualities  to  be  possessed  by 
these  breeds,  and,  by  bringing  them  more  prominently 
Into  notice,  to  advance  the  Interests  of  the  agricultural 
community,  particularly  that  portion  of  It  residing  In 
the  vicinity  of  large  cities  and  towns ;  though  by  the 
constantly  Increasing  advantages  offered  by  most  of 
the  railways  distant  portions  of  the  country  are  brought 
more  nearly  and  advantageously  together. 

In  the  accompanying  pages  the  editor — for  he  claims 
nothing  more  than  bringing  together  Important  facts 
about  these    breeds — has   endeavored  to  present   the 


4  PRE  FA  TOR  K 

history  and  management  of  the  Jersey  and  Guernsey 

cow  in  their  native  lands,  together  with  such  short  rules 

for  their  manao^ement  in  their  new  home  as  will  tend  to 

make  these  superior  breeds  better  known  and  more 

profitable  wherever  introduced.     With  this  view  he  has 

unhesitatingly  made  use  of  material    by  some  of  the 

best  of  our  agricultural  writers,  but  has  endeavored  in 

most  instances  to  give  credit  to  the  source  from  whence 

it   was    derived.     He    believes    he    has    thus    brought 

together   in    a    condensed   form    a   mass    of    valuable 

material  which  will  be  useful  to  the  professed  breeder, 

the    amateur  farmer  or   the   practical    dairyman ;    and 

fairly  presented  the  merits  of  the   best  breed  of  cows 

for  the  butter-  and  cheese-maker,  for  the  lover  of  rich 

cream  and  milk,  and  for  the  admirer  of  the  beautiful  in 

nature. 

WILLIS  P.  HAZARD. 

Maple  Knoll,  near  Westchester, 
May,  1872. 


CONTENTS. 


INTRODUCTORY  CHAPTER. 

PAGE 

The  History  and  Home  of  the  Jersey  Cow — Remarks  on  its 
Characteristics  and  Management 7 

CHAPTER  H. 

How  to  Choose  a  Good  Cow — The  Mirror  or  Escutcheon — 
The  Scale  of  Points 58 

CHAPTER  HI. 
How  TO  Feed  a  Cow 104 

CHAPTER  IV. 
The  Management  of  the  Cow no 

CHAPTER  V. 
The  Art  of  Milking iitj 

CHAPTER  VI. 
The  Dairy  and  its  Management — Butter-making 125 

CHAPTER  VII. 

The  Bull  ;  and  on  Calving — Diseases  of  Cows 139 

5 


THE 


JERSEY, 

Alderney  and  Guernsey  Cow. 


INTRODUCTORY  CHAPTER. 

The  general  preference  which  has  been  shown  of 
late  years  for  the  cows  of  Jersey  and  Guernsey,  as  pro- 
ducing a  higher  quality  of  milk  for  dairy  purposes  than 
other  species,  has  induced  the  author,  as  well  from 
his  own  conviction  of  its  necessity  as  from  the  sugges- 
tions of  friends  and  customers  who  have  felt  the  want 
of  such  a  treatise,  to  place  the  following  epitome  of  his 
knowledge  and  experience  before  the  public. 

Until  very  recently  an  impression  has  much  prevailed 
that  the  cow  of  the  Channel  Islands  was  unfitted,  by  its 
apparently  delicate  appearance  and  blood-like  breeding, 
for  the  use  of  such  persons  as  were  unable  to  bestow 
on  it  the  most  assiduous  attention  and  care ;  but 
experience  and  a  more  intimate  acquaintance  with  the 
animal  have  shown  that  this  impression  is  entirely  with- 
out foundation,  and  we  now  constantly  see  the  Jersey 

7 


8         THE   JERSEY,   ALDERNEY  AND    GUERNSEY  COW. 

Cow  thrivinor  under  circumstances  that  would  be  fittine 
for  any  other  cow  kept  for  the  same  purpose — viz., 
milkinof  and  breedinof. 

The  Channel  Islands  Cow  will  be  found  invaluable 
for  private  family  use,  from  its  docility,  easy  pasturage 
and  small  consumption,  in  comparison  with  the  peculiar 
richness  of  its  milk,  the  average  in  a  dairy  of  forty 
cows,  under  such  management  as  is  hereafter  set  forth, 
having  been  ten  pounds  of  butter  from  each  cow  per 
week ;  whereas  in  other  dairies  not  more  than  from  six 
to  seven  pounds  is  producible  from  the  ordinary  milch 
cow — where  alone  quantity  of  milk  has  been  desired^ — 
which  is  not  the  main  object  in  a  private  family. 

We  have,  therefore,  in  the  animal  under  consideration 
the  triple  advantage,  as  before  stated,  of  a  symmetry 
of  form  which  renders  it  an  ornament  to  the  gentleman's 
lawn  and  paddock ;  a  docility  which  makes  it  quiet  un- 
der the  tether  and  in  the  hands  of  the  milker,  whether 
male  or  female  ;  and  a  richness  of  production  which  not 
only  fills  the  dairy  with  butter,  but  that  of  a  firmness 
which  it  retains  in  the  heat  of  the  summer  and  a  rich- 
ness through  the  cold  of  winter,  when  the  butter  of  the 
ordinary  cow  is  barely  marketable. 

The  prejudice  against  the  Jersey  which  has  existed 
amongst  dairy  farmers,  whose  object  is  only  profit,  by 
whatever  legitimate  means  obtainable,  is  also  now  fast 
wearing  away,  there  being  scarcely  one  such  in  England 
who  does  not  have  a  certain  proportion  of  these  cattle 
among  his  stock ;   experience  having  proved  that  the 


THE   JERSEY,  ALDERNEY  AND    GUERNSEY  COW.  9 

'introduction  of  the  Jersey  or  Guernsey  (especially  the 
latter),  in  the  proportion  of  one  to  six  other  cows, 
has  so  improved  the  character  of  the  dairy,  that  from 
one  penny  to  twopence  per  pound  in  advance  is  ob- 
tained in  any  market,  besides  the  pi^estige  which  the 
best  commodity  will  always  command. 

The  pre-eminent  utility  of  the  Jersey  Cow  as  a 
cross  in  breeding  with  the  long-horn  is  universally 
allowed  where  the  dairy  is  the  object.  For  this  pur- 
pose the  Jersey  is  superior  to  the  Guernsey,  although 
the  milk  of  the  Guernsey  is  preferable  to  the  Jersey  for 
mixing  in  the  dairy.  The  reasons  which  indicate  the 
cross  above  mentioned  are,  on  the  part  of  the  long- 
horn,  its  large  quantity  of  milk,  strength  of  constitu- 
tion, longevity  and  indisposition  to  fatten  in  the  breed- 
ing state ;  and  on  the  part  of  the  Jersey,  its  rich  quality 
of  milk,  fine  breeding  and  kind  and  quiet  disposition. 

The  cow  needed  for  the  dairy  cannot,  under  any  cir- 
cumstances, be  selected  for  those  qualities  which  will 
produce  fat ;  the  two  natures  are  incompatible  ;  to  have 
the  best  meat,  we  must  get  rid  of  every  tendency  to 
milk ;  and  to  have  the  best  butter,  we  must  obviate 
every  disposition  to  fatten.  We  cannot  have  both 
qualities  In  the  same  animal,  and  the  attempt  will  only 
end  in  disappointment 

The  results,  then,  of  the  above  remarks  are  these : 

that  in  the  first  place   the  Jersey  Cow  is,  above,  all 

others,  especially  the  cow  for  the  gentleman's  lawn  and 

paddock,  and  the  only  means  by  which  the  dairy  farmer 
2 


10         THE   JERSEY,   ALDERNEY  AND    GUERNSEY  COW. 

may  revert  to  the  peculiar  and  important  principle,  so 
long  lost  sight  of,  which  places  breed  beyond  bulk,  and 
was  contemplated  in  the  old  adage  that  says — 

"  The  cow  to  breed, 
The  ox  to  feed." 

We  shall  now  give,  from  the  best  authorities,  sketches 
of 

THE   HISTORY   AND   HOME  OF  THE  JERSEY   COW.      ' 

In  "Appleton's  Journal"  for  January  i,  1870,  is  the 
following  interesting  description  of 

The  Channel  Islands. — ''  In  a  deep  bay  of  the  north- 
west coast  of  France,  opposite  to  the  centre  of  the 
south  coast  of  England,  lies  a  cluster  of  rocky  islets, 
but  little  visited  by  the  outlying  world,  and  but  lately 
brought  to  the  cognizance  of  the  great  brotherhood  of 
literature  by  becoming  the  retreat  whence  the  indignant 
soul  of  Victor  Hugo  has  poured  forth  its  warnings  and 
its  thunders. 

"They  are  Interesting  from  their  peculiar  position, 
geographically,  historically  and  artistically ;  and,  from 
the  fact  of  the  principal  one  of  them  having  given  a 
name  to  the  city  and  State  which  bids  fair  to  rival  the 
maritime  metropolis  of  the  United  States,  they  deserve 
more  than  a  passing  notice. 

''Only  four  of  them  are  inhabited :  Sark,  by  one  family 
and  their  dependents ;  Alderney,  by  the  Government 
officers  of  the  Harbor  of  Refuge  and  a  few  fishermen ; 
Guernsey,  by  a  thriving  seafaring  population  ;  and 
Jersey,  by  one  of  the  most  complete  colonies  of  small 


THE  JERSEY,  ALDERNEY  AND    GUERNSEY  COW.         II 

gentility  possible  to  conceive.  All  these  have  preserved 
to  this  day  their  ancient  forms  through  all  the  political 
disturbances  of  eisfht  centuries.  When  the  Norman 
mail-clad  warriors  debated  at  Rouen  the  question  of 
their  invasion  of  Saxon  England,  many  of  the  lords  of 
feudal  territories  in  the  Channel  Islands  were  in  the 
conclave,  just  as  some  of  their  grandsons  took  part  in 
the  other  ereat  march  eastward  of  those  fearless  buc- 
caneers  under  Godfrey  of  Bouillon,  whose  castle  still 
looks  over  the  narrow  strait  of  seven  miles  of  stormy 
sea  dividing  Coutances  and  Jersey.  Channel-Islanders 
fought  with  Roger  in  the  conquest  of  Sicily,  and  routed 
Alexis,  the  Emperor  of  Constantinople,  on  the  shore  of 
Butrinto.  This  story  is  ludicrously  particularized  by 
the  Emperor's  daughter,  Anna  Comnena,  the  historian 
of  her  times.  The  expedition,  which  sailed  from  Sicily 
for  the  conquest  of  the  Eastern  world,  met  with  misfor- 
tune from  its  outset.  Storms  and  tempests,  hunger  and 
finally  disease  had  thinned  their  ranks  and  broken  their 
pride,  so  that  the  Byzantine  army  found  their  tents  ten- 
anted by  only  five  hundred  knights,  attenuated  by  short 
commons  and  prostrated  by  fever — 

'  Their  gesture  sad, 
Investing  lank,  lean  cheeks  and  war-worn  coats, 
Presenteth  them  unto  the  gazing  moon 
So  many  horrid  ghosts' — 

as  the  genius  of  Shakspeare  portrayed  the  famished 
host  of  Plantagenet  Henry's  ragged  array  at  Agincourt. 
No  wonder  that  the  rich  and  overfed  Orientals  treated 


12         THE   JERSEY,  ALDERNEY  AND    GUERNSEY  COW. 

them  as  the  Constable  of  France  did  the  famished 
Englishmen — offered  them  ransom,  'that  their  souls 
might  make  a  peaceful  retire  from  off  the  fields  where, 
wretches,  their  poor  bodies  must  lie  and  fester.'  But 
such  terms  did  not  suit  the  Norman  mind.  They 
donned  their  rusty  armor,  and  gave  the  Emperor  so 
hearty  a  lesson  that  his  daughter  chronicles  that  he 
never  stopped  in  his  headlong  retreat  till  he  reached 
the  gates  of  the  Hellespont.  He  never  tried  them 
again. 

**  Of  course,  during  the  reign  of  the  first  five  kings, 
Normandy  was  part  of  the  English  realm ;  but  when 
King  John  was  defeated  by  Philip  Augustus,  and  the 
French  wrested -it  from  his  sceptre,  the  Channel  Islands 
had  to  make  their  choice  of  nationality,  and  they  fol- 
lowed their  crown.  Since  that  day  there  has  never 
been  war  between  the  two  nations  but  a  descent  has 
been  made  and  successfully  resisted,  but  not  one  sun's 
settinor  has  witnessed  the  French  fiaof  on  their  shores, 
though  many  a  bloody  day  has  been  fought  out  between 
the  stout  islanders  and  their  near  neighbors.  The 
inventory  of  the  families  and  their  lands  of  King  John's 
day  is  still  extant.  The  heraldic  records,  and  many  of 
the  deeds  of  knights'  service  and  other  feudal  tenures 
of  possession,  still  remain  in  the  Herald's  College  of 
Rouen,  the  capital  of  the  ancient  duchy  to  which  they 
then  belonged.  The  law-courts,  the  petty  jurisdictions, 
even  the  terms,  are  all  Norman  French,  as  is  all  the 
language  of  agricultural   labor,   to   this   day.      Hence, 


THE   JERSEY,   ALDERNEY  AND    GUERNSEY  COW.        1 3 

during  the  long  troubles  of  the  Huguenot  persecution, 
the  Channel  Islands  became  the  retreat  of  the  routed 
Protestants,  who  found  a  ready  asylum,  identical  in  lan- 
guage as  in  faith ;  and  in  later  times,  Royalists  and 
Republicans,  Orleanists  and  Reds,  have  hailed  the  snug 
haven  of  St.  Helier's  of  Jersey  as  the  paradise  of  exile, 
from  which  their  longing  eyes  can  see  the  fair  shores 
of  France — '  for  ever  distant,  yet  for  ever  near.' 

*'  No  taxes  or  imposts  have  ever  been  laid  upon  these 
fortunate  lands.  No  custom-house  officials  here  prey 
upon  the  friendless  stranger.  Their  southern  climate 
and  sea-girt  situation  ensure  them  a  mild  and  genial 
atmosphere  even  in  the  depth  of  winter ;  and,  where 
the  formation  of  the  ground  affords  a  shelter,  the  vege- 
tation, watered  by  a  thousand  rills,  attains  an  almost 
tropical  verdure.  Their  neighboring  coasts  and  shoals 
afford  a  boundless  supply  of  fish;,  the  celebrated 
Rochers  de  Cancale  yield  the  most  noted  and  delicious 
oysters  of  the  European  gourmand,  ignorant  of  the 
superior  dainty  of  the  Shrewsbury  and  Saddlerock ; 
while  their  unrivaled  breed  of  cattle  gives  them  an 
opportunity  of  a  market  in  every  agricultural  country 
on  the  face  of  the  elobe.  The  islanders  have  not  been 
slow  to  avail  themselves  of  these  advantages.  Their 
soil  is  so  fertile  that  the  cows  only  require  the  circuit 
of  their  tether  for  food  in  the  rich  pasture,  and  the  sea- 
sons are  never  severe  enough  to  require  their  house- 
shelter.  Their  apples  and  pears  are  renowned  in  the 
fruit-culture,  and  their  wonderful  crops  of  potatoes  find 


14        THE   JERSEY,   ALDERNEY  AND    GUERNSEY  COW. 

a  ready  market,  without  any  dues,  in  England ;  while 
they  draw  all  their  daily  supplies  from  France,  the 
markets  beinof  crowded  from  Coutances  or  Granville, 
ports  on  the  other  side  of  the  narrow  strait,  or  from 
St.  Malo,  only  four  hours'  daily  steam-transport  from 
St.  Helier's.  Colleges  and  schools  being  plentiful,  ex- 
cellent and  far  cheaper  than  in  England,  have  attracted 
families,  to  whom  the  inexpensiveness  as  well  as  abun- 
dance of  household  supplies  has  been  a  temptation,  to 
this  almost  suburban  retreat  from  England.  Their  quar- 
ries pave  the  streets  of  London ;  their  pilots  navigate 
the  royal  and  mercantile  fleets.  Timber  being  imported 
free  of  all  duty,  shipbuilders'  yards  line  St.  Helier's 
Bay.  There  is  almost  daily  steam  communication  both 
with  London  and  Paris,  and  crowds  of  excursionists 
come  gladly  to  be  fleeced  by  the  inn  and  lodging-house 
keepers.  No  wonder  the  islands  flourish  and  their  val- 
leys laugh  and  sing !  Not  even  religious  controversy — 
that  direst  bane  of  civilized  communities — has  as  vet 
disturbed  '  the  even  tenor  of  their  way.'  The  popula- 
tion, having  been  uniformly  Puritan  or  Huguenot,  has 
resisted  all  contact  with  Romanism  effectually,  and  the 
Pope  only  reckons  subjects  among  the  foreign  and  alien 
residents  of  the  Channel  Islands.  One  of  the  two  ser- 
vices in  the  churches  is  invariably  conducted  in  the 
French  language,  which  is  spoken  with  remarkable 
purity  by  the  higher  circles.  Hence  a  Jersey  pastor,  the 
son  of  a  poor  miller,  who  rose  by  his  talents  to  be  vice- 
chancellor  of  the  University  of  Oxford,  and  died,  two 


THE   JERSEY,   ALDERNEY  AND    GUERNSEY  COW.         1$ 

years  ago,  bishop  of  Peterborough,  was  selected,  in 
1861,  to  preach  In  the  Abbey  of  Westminster  to  the 
euests  of  Enorland  at  the  Great  Exhibition  of  all  na- 
tlons,  and  astonished  the  educated  foreigners  by  the 
grace  and  purity  of  his  French  Idiom.  The  whole 
expenses  of  government  are  defrayed  by  the  English 
crown,  which  maintains  military  governors,  garrisons 
the  forts  and  pays  the  militia,  recruited  on  the  Prussian 
model — every  male  adult  being  compelled  to  serve  a 
definite  period  In  drill,  and  being  liable  to  service  In  the 
narrow  circle  of  his  home  In  case  of  war.  Under  these 
circumstances,  military  life  is  made  a  pleasure ;  and,  the 
rifles  and  ammunition  being  always  at  hand,  the  hardy 
fishermen  and  oyster-dredgers,  rocking  on  a  calm  sea, 
amuse  themselves  In  their  leisure  by  friendly  emulation 
in  shooting-matches  at  birds  and  rocks,  and  the  frequent 
encounters  between  parishes  and  regiments  on  shore 
for  small  prizes  at  the  fairs  and  revels,  which  still  keep 
up  the  memory  of  the  old  Norman  festivals,  give  ample 
opportunities  of  testing  their  skill.  It  Is  not  an  uncom- 
mon thing  for  one  out  of  the  four  regiments  of  Jersey 
militia  to  boast  of  one  hundred  men  of  their  rank  and 
file  who  can  be  backed  to  hit  the  bull's-eye  at  five  hun- 
dred yards. 

"Upon  all  considerations,  therefore,  the  Channel 
Islands  have  a  fair  claim  to  be  thought  to  have  suc- 
ceeded to  those  fortunate  islands  of  the  West  whose 
existence  had  puzzled  the  brains  of  the  learned  before 
the  hopes  they  gave  rise  to  culminated  In  the  discovery 


1 6         THE    JERSEY,   ALDERNEY  AND    GUERNSEY  COW. 

of  the  Western  Hemisphere  by  Columbus.  Though 
lying  out  of  the  great  track  of  travel,  they  are  yet  in 
the  very  centre  of  trade  and  civilization.  Untrammelled 
by  legislation  or  custom-houses,  they  have  free  scope 
for  the  development  of  their  rich  natural  resources. 
Too  small  to  invite  political  demagogism,  and  too  insig- 
nificant for  priestly  domination,  they  flourish  in  even, 
happy  contentment,  in  the  enjoyment  of  a  climate,  a 
soil  and  a  society  completely  free  from  the  disturbances 
which  afflict  and  often  destroy  larger  and  more  cele- 
brated but  not  so  free  and  favored  communities." 

In  the  "Journal"  of  the  Ro3'al  Agricultural  Society 
of  England  for  1859,  vol,  xx.,  is  an  essay  by  C.  P.  Le 
Cornu,  from  which  we  make  extracts  on 

The  Agriculture  of  the  Islands  of  Jersey,  Guern- 
sey, Alderney  and  Sark. — "Jersey,  the  largest  and 
most  easterly  of  the  group,  lies  in  latitude  49°  N., 
longitude  2°  22'  W.,  being  at  a  distance  of  eighteen  to 
twenty  miles  from  the  nearest  coast  of  France.  In  form 
it  is  that  of  an  irregular  parallelogram,  eleven  miles 
lonof  and  five  and  a  half  miles  wide.  The  surface  of 
the  island  is  intersected  by  a  continuation  of  valleys, 
which.  In  general,  run  from  north  to  south,  gradually 
increasing  In  depth  and  width  as  they  approach  the 
south,  until  they  In  many  places  unite  and  form  small 
but  fertile  plains.  On  the  northern  side,  the  coast  rises 
abruptly  above  the  level  of  the  sea  to  a  height  ranging 
from  two  hundred  and  fifty  to  four  hundred  feet, 
whereas  on  its  southern  side  It  Is  In  most  places  on  a 


THE   JERSEY,   ALDERNEY  AND    GUERNSEY  COW.         1/ 

level  with  the  water's  edore.  .  .  .  With  regard  to  di- 
mate,  it  is  mild  and  temperate,  the  heat  never  excessive, 
nor  yet  the  cold  intense.  The  winters  are  such  that  it 
is  not  a  rare  occurrence  for  one  to  pass  by  without  a 
flake  of  snow  falling,  or  even  the  thermometer  to 
remain  above  freezing  point.  During  the  winter 
months  rain  is  most  prevalent. 

"  When  we  consider  the  large  population  living  on  so 
small  a  surface — that  there  are  two  inhabitants  to  every 
acre — we  almost  wonder  whence  they  derive  their  re- 
sources ;  but  we  must  bear  in  mind  that,  although  situ- 
ated on  a  rocky  bed,  the  soil  of  Jersey  is  particularly 
rich,  and  highly  productive.  The  rock  is  of  the  primary 
formation,  void  of  any  organic  remains,  chiefly  granite, 
syenite,  gneiss,  porphyry  and  schist,  with  other  varieties 
belonging  to  this  series.  It  might  be  supposed  that  the 
fact  of  the  soil  reposing  on  so  rocky  a  bottom  might 
produce  meagreness,  but  it  is  not  the  case.  The  soil  is 
a  rich  loam,  varying  in  lightness  in  accordance  with  the 
stratum  beneath  it ;  if  granite  or  syenite,  it  is  lighter 
than  where  the  other  varieties  of  rock  are  found.  The 
cause  to  which  this  difference  is  attributable  is,  that 
immediately  between  the  granite  and  cultivated  soil  is 
a  layer  of  coarse  gravel,  w^hich  acts  as  constant  drain- 
age, whereas  where  the  granite  and  syenite  disappear 
no  gravel  is  found,  but  a  light  clay  forms  the  layer 
between  the  soil  and  rock.  As  a  general  rule,  the  east- 
ern district  of  the  island  may  be  said  to  belong  to  the 

3 


1 8  THE    JERSEY,   ALDERNEY  AND    GUERNSEY  COW. 

■ 

latter  formation,  and  the  western  to  be  more  closely 
allied  to  the  former ;  but  in  both  cases  there  are  excep- 
tions. For  certain  kinds  of  produce  the  one  is  more 
esteemed  than  the  other,  but  the  universal  opinion 
throughout  the  island  is,  thac  the  eastern  district  is  the 
richest  and  most  productive.  To  bear  this  out,  it  will 
only  be  necessary  to  state  that  the  rent  of  land  is  con- 
siderably higher  in  this  than  in  the  other ;  and  by  com- 
paring the  two  closely,  it  will  be  found  that  the  clayey 
bottom  is  the  most  advantageous.  Beino^  retentive  of 
moisture,  it  protects  plants  against  drought ;  it  also 
retains  the  properties  of  manure,  which,  in  thinner  and 
more  open  soils,  are  washed  down  by  rain  and  lost. 
From  this  last  remark  it  is  not  to  be  inferred  that  the 
soil  of  the  island  in  any  one  part  is  altogether  deficient 
of  certain  retaining  properties.  What  is  wished  to  be 
impressed  is,  that  the  varieties  of  soil  are  numerous, 
and  differ,  as  has  been  said,  in  accordance  with  the 
strata  immediately  beneath.  Here  it  will  also  be  well 
to  observe  that  certain  localities  in  the  vicinity  of  bays 
have,  through  the  violence  of  the  wind  from  olden  times, 
become  extremely  light  and  sandy  ;  but  they,  neverthe- 
less, are  tilled,  and  have  in  many  places  become  highly 
fertile,  especially  in  the  parish  of  St.  Clement,  which 
may  be  termed  the  garden  of  Jersey,  from  its  great  and 
early  productiveness.  Jersey  is  well  studded  with  trees, 
much  more  so  than  either  of  the  other  islands.  The 
oak,  elm,  chestnut  and  ash  are  seen  growing  luxuri- 
antly, but  particularly  the  apple  tree  may  be  noticed. 


THE   JERSEY,   ALDERNEY  AND    GUERNSEY  COW.        1 9 

Formerly  a  large  portion  of  land  was  devoted  to  the 
culture  of  this  fruit  tree,  but  of  late  many  have  been 
destroyed,  and  replaced  by  the  ordinary  crops  of  grain, 
grass,  roots,  etc. 

^  ^  "H^  ^  :S& 

"  The  great  subdivision  of  property  has  caused  farms 
to  be  of  very  small  extent.  The  law  of  the  island  does 
not  permit  land  or  rents  inherited  to  be  devised  by  will, 
but  they  must  follow  the  law  of  succession.  On  the 
demise  of  a  proprietor,  the  eldest  son  takes  as  his  birth- 
right the  house,  etc.,  with  rather  more  than  two  acres 
of  land  adjoining,  also  one-tenth  of  the  entire  landed 
property  and  rents.  The  remainder  is  then  shared, 
two-thirds  amoncr  sons  and  one-third  amone  daucrhters, 
but  in  no  case  can  a  daucrhter  take  a  largrer  share  than 
a  son.  Thus,  large  estates  become  very  much  divided, 
but  in  most  cases  the  eldest  branch  purchases  some  of 
the  portions  allotted  to  the  junior  members,  who  have 
commonly  turned  their  minds  to  professional  or  mer- 
cantile occupations.  Very  many  houses  will  be  found 
to  which  only  two  or  three  acres  are  attached,  whilst 
others  have  twenty  or  thirty ;  but  an  estate  which  con- 
tains fifteen  acres  is  by  no  means  considered  a  small 
one,  and  rarely  do  any  exceed  fifty  or  sixty  acres. 
There  may,  perhaps,  be  six  or  eight  such  in  the  whole 
island.  However  limited  may  appear  the  size  of  these 
farms,  still  their  value  is  considerable.  The  following 
are  the  prices  at  which  land  has  been  letting  of  late 
years,  viz. :   In   the   immediate  vicinity  of  St.  Helier's, 


20        THE   JERSEY,   ALDERNEY  AND    GUERNSEY  COW. 

£g   per  acre ;    at  a   distance    of  two    or   three    miles, 
£6  I  OS.  to  £'/  I  OS. ;  beyond  that,  £4.  los.  to  £6. 

"  Bearing  these  prices  in  mind,  it  will  be  observed  that 
farmlnor  must  be  carried  on  with  orreat  care  and  atten- 
tlon,  and  that  the  farmer  must  be  ever  watching  how  to 
turn  his  occupation  to  the  greatest  advantage,  other- 
wise his  business  would  prove  a  failure.  In  Jersey, 
almost  every  family  residing  in  the  country  cultivate 
some  portion  of  land  adjoining  their  house ;  if  but  a 
garden,  they  grow  fruit  and  vegetables  for  the  markets  ; 
and  if  they  have  one  and  a  half  to  two  acres  of  land, 
they  keep  a  cow,  two  or  three  pigs  and  some  poultry, 
increasing  their  stock  in  proportion  to  the  extent  of 
their  occupation. 

^  ^  :{:  Hf  ^ 

"  A  farm  of  twenty  acres,  as  before  mentioned,  will, 
with  few  exceptions  (where  meadow-land  or  orchards 
predominate),  be  distributed  as  follows  : 

Acres. 
Hay  and  pasture lo 

Turnips 2 

Mangolds , I 

Parsnips I 

Carrots o^ 

Potatoes 2 

Wlieat 314; 

20 

"  The  stock  usually  kept  will  consist  of — 

Horses 2 

Cows 6 

Heifers 6 

Pifjs 8 


THE    JERSEY,   ALDERNEY  AXD    GUERNSEY  COW.         21 

"To  manage  the  above,  and  keep  the  whole  in  proper 
order,  will  require  the  constant  attention  of  four  per- 
sons, two  men  and  two  w^omen.  In  most  cases  the 
farmer  has  not  recourse  to  assistance  beyond  that  of  his 
own  immediate  household ;  it  is,  indeed,  a  rare  occur- 
rence for  a  tenant-farmer  to  hold  a  farm  of  this  extent 
unless  he  can  rely  upon  his  own  family  for  assistance. 
♦  ♦  •■;  ♦  * 

*'  In  Jersey,  horned  cattle  constitute  the  mainstay  of 
agriculture ;  it  is  that  upon  which  the  farmer  chiefly 
depends  for  money  to  pay  his  rents.  Although  the 
Jersey  cow  has  been  the  subject  of  much  notice  in  dif- 
ferent publications,  and  is  known  to  all  who  turn  their 
attention  to  agriculture,  still,  within  these  pages,  some 
remarks  on  the  originality,  value,  and  peculiarities  of 
the  breed  are  indispensable.  The  animal  known  in 
England  and  elsewhere  under  the  name  of  Alderney 
cow  is  the  same  which  is  now  under  our  consideration. 
The  reason  for  the  breed  going  under  the  name  of 
Alderney  is,  that  from  that  island  the  first  were  ex- 
ported to  England.  At  present  but  few  are  obtained 
from  Alderney.  In  form  the  Jersey  cow  is  deer-like, 
and  small  in  size ;  the  colors  mostly  prized  are  the  light 
red  and  white,  the  brown,  and  the  fawn ;  brindled  speci- 
mens are  rarely  seen  ;  they  are  not  at  all  valued,  and  may 
be  purchased  extremely  cheap.  The  cow  is  naturally 
quiet,  so  much  so  that  a  mere  child  can  manage  her." 

Ji:  :i:  *  :):  ♦ 

In  1844,  ^-ol-  Le  Couteur,  Queen's  Aide-de-Camp  in 


22         THE   JERSEY,   ALDERNEY  AND    GUERNSEY  COW. 

Jersey,  contributed  to  the  Royal  Agricultural  Society  of 
England  an  essay  on  "The  Jersey,  misnamed  Alderney, 
Cow,"  which  is  here  copied,  nearly  entire,  from  the 
Society's  Journal,  vol.  v.,  p.  43  : 

"The  breed  of  cattle  familiarly  known  throughout 
Great  Britain  as  the  Alderney,  and  correctly  termed,  in 
the  article  '  Cattle,'  of  the  '  Library  of  Useful  Know- 
ledge,' *  the  crumpled  horned,'  was  originally  Norman, 
it  is  conceived,  as  cows  very  similar  to  them  in  form 
and  color  are  to  be  seen  in  various  parts  of  Normandy 
and  Brittany  also ;  but  the  difference  in  their  milking 
and  creaming  qualities  is  really  astonishing,  the  Jersey 
cow  producing  nearly  double  the  quantity  of  butter. 

"  The  race  is  miscalled  '  Alderney '  as  far  as  Jersey  is 
In  question  ;  for,  about  seventy  years  since,  Mr.  Du- 
maresq,  of  St.  Peter's,  afterwards  the  chief  magistrate, 
sent  some  of  the  best  Jersey  cows  to  his  father-in-law, 
the  then  proprietor  of  Alderney ;  so  that  the  Jersey 
was,  already  at  that  period,  an  improved  and  superior 
to  the  Alderney  race.  It  has  since  been  vastly 
amended  in  form,  and  generally  so  in  various  qualities, 
though  the  best  of  those  recorded  at  that  period  gave 
as  much  milk  and  butter  as  the  best  may  do  now. 

"  Ten  years  have  elapsed  since  the  attempt  was  first 
made  by  fixed  rules  to  improve  the  form  and  quality  of 
the  Jersey  cow.  A  few  gentlemen,  presided  over  by 
the  then  Lieutenant-Governor,  Major-General  Thorn- 
ton, selected  two  beautiful  cows,  with  the  best  qualities, 
as  models.     One  of  these  was  held  to  be  perfect  In  her 


THE    JERSEY,    ALDERNEY  AND    GUERNSEY  CO IV.         23 

barrel  and  fore-quarters,  the  other  equally  so  in  her 
hind-quarters.  From  these  two  the  following  points 
were  laid  down  to  be  the  rule  for  governing  the  judges 
in  all  the  cattle-shows  of  the  Jersey  Agricultural 
Society.     (See  pp.  loo  to  102  for  scales  of  points.) 

"  The  accuracy  of  this  arrangement  is  proved  by  the 
fact  that  no  deviation  from  it  has  been  made,  the  expe- 
rience of  ten  years  having  only  added  to  the  scale  the 
points  for  general  appearance  and  condition. 

:■:  :■;  :;;  :;,-  '^ 

"  The  evil  was,  and  still  exists,  that  most  Jersey  farm- 
ers, like  many  others,  never  thought  of  crossing  with 
a  view  to  improvement,  conscious  of  possessing  a  breed 
excellent  for  the  production  of  rich  milk  and  cream — 
milk  so  rich  in  some  cows  that  it  seems  like  what  is 
sometimes  called  cream  in  cities — and  cream  so  much 
richer,  that,  from  a  verdant  pasture  in  spring,  it  appears 
like  clouted  cream.  But  the  Jersey  farmer  sought  no 
further.  He  was  content  to  possess  an  ugly,  ill-formed 
animal,  with  flat  sides,  wide  between  the  ribs  and  hips, 
cat-hammed,  narrow  and  high  hips,  with  a  hollow  back. 

''  She  had  always  possessed  the  head  of  a  fawn,  a  soft 
eye,  an  elegant  crumpled  horn,  small  ears,  yellow  within, 
a  clean  neck  and  throat,  fine  bones,  a  fine  tail ;  above 
all,  a  well-formed,  capacious  udder,  with  large,  swelling 
milk-veins. 

''  Content  with  these  qualities,  the  only  question  in 
the  selection  of  a  bull  among  the  most  judicious  farmers 
was,  '  Is  the  breed  a  good  one  ?'  meaning,  solely,  Had 


24        THE   JERSEY,  ALDERNEY  AND   GUERNSEY  COW. 

its  progenitors  been  renowned  for  their  milking  and 
creaming  qualities?  But  the  mere  attention  to  this 
was  one  of  primary  importance  in  a  circumscribed  spot 
like  Jersey ;  it  may  have  been  quite  sufficient  to  estab- 
lish a  hereditary  superiority  in  the  most  needful  qual- 
ity. It  may  also  have  established  it  with  a  rapidity  that 
could  not  have  been  obtained  in  a  wdde-extended  coun- 
try like  France.  Hence,  perhaps,  the  present  supe- 
riority of  the  Jersey  over  the  French  breed. 

^  *  :H  Jti  * 

*'  The  Jersey  cow^  is  a  singularly  docile  and  gentle 
animal ;  the  male,  on  the  contrary,  is  apt  to  become 
fierce  after  two  years  of  age.  In  those  bred  on  the 
heights  of  St.  Ouen,  St.  Brelade,  and  St.  Mary,  there  is 
a  hardness  and  sound  constitution  that  enables  them  to 
meet  even  a  Scotch  winter  without  injury ;  those  bred 
in  the  low  grounds  and  rich  pastures  are  of  larger  car- 
cass, but  are  more  delicate  in  constitution. 

"  Of  the  ancient  race,  it  wa5  stated,  perhaps  with 
truth,  that  it  had  no  tendency  to  fatten  ;  indeed,  some 
cows  of  the  old  breed  were  so  ungainly,  high-boned, 
and  raeeed  in  form,  Meof  Merrilies  of  cows,  that  no 
attempt  to  fatten  them  might  succeed — the  great  quan- 
tities of  milk  and  cream  wdiich  they  produced  probably 
absorbing  all  their  fattening  properties. 

•'  Yet  careful  attention  to  crossing  has  greatly  reme- 
died this  defect.  By  having  studied  the  habits  of  a  good 
cow  with  a  little  more  tendency  to  fatten  than  others, 
and  crossing  her  with  a  fleshy,  well-conditioned  bull  of 


5    r- 

3       fr) 


S 
W 

> 

w 


THE   JERSEY,   ALDERNEY  AND    GUERNSEY  COW.         25 

a  race  that  was  also  known  to  produce  quality  and 
quantity  of  butter,  the  next  generation  has  proved  of  a 
rounder  form,  with  a  tendency  to  make  fat,  without 
having  lost  the  butyraceous  nature. 

"  Some  of  these  improved  animals  have  fattened  so 
rapidly  while  being  stall-fed,  from  the  month  of  Decem- 
ber to  March,  as  to  suffer  in  parturition,  when  both  cow 
and  calf  have  been  lost;  to  prevent  which,  it  is  indis- 
pensable to  lower  the  condition  of  the  cow,  or  to  bleed 
in  good  time.  Such  animals  will  fatten  rapidly.  Their 
beef  is  excellent,  the  only  defect  being  in  the  color  of 
the  fat,  which  is  sometimes  too  yellovv^.  It  is  now  a  fair 
question  whether  the  improved  breed  may  not  fatten  as 
rapidly  as  any  breed  known. 

"  Ouayle,  who  wrote  the  'Agricultural  Survey  of  Jer- 
sey,' states  '  that  the  Ayrshire  was  a  cross  between  the 
short  horned  breed  and  the  Alderney.' 

"There  is  a  considerable  affinity  between  these  two 
breeds.  The  writer  has  noticed  Ayrshire  cows  that 
seemed  to  be  of  Jersey  origin,  but  none  of  them  were 
said  to  have  produced  so  large  a  quantity  of  cream  or 
butter,  nor  was  the  butter  in  Scotland  of  nearly  so  deep 
a  tinge  of  yellow  as  the  most  rich  in  Jersey.  One  Jer- 
sey cow  that  produces  very  yellow  cream  will  give  a 
good  color  to  butter  produced  from  two  cows  affording 
a  pale-colored  cream. 

"  It  is  not  doubted  that  crosses  from  the  Jersey  breed 

have  taken  place.    Field-Marshal  Conway,  the  governor 

of  this  *  sequestered  isle,'  as  Horace  Walpole  termed  it, 
4 


26         THE    JERSEY,   ALDERNEY  AND    GUERNSEY  COW. 

and  Lieutenant-General  Andrew  Gordon,  who  succeeded 
him,  nearly  half  a  century  back,  both  sent  some  of  the 
best  cattle  to  England  and  Scotland.  If  pains  were 
taken,  the  race  and  its  consequents  might  be  distinctly 
traced,  which  might  lead  to  important  results  in  breed- 
ing. 

"  The  Q-rand  desideratum  is  to  discover  a  breed  that 
will  be  useful  to  the  grazier,  the  dairyman,  and  the  small 
farmer.  In  so  small  a  spot  as  Jersey,  it  is  difficult  to 
cross  the  breed  essentially — a  great  step  towards  it  is 
gained  by  crossing  cattle  bred  in  the  low  rich  pastures  with 
those  of  the  exposed  hills  on  the  western  or  northern 
coast ;  these  being  smaller,  finer  boned,  of  a  more  hardy 
constitution,  and  feeding  on  a  short,  rich  bite,  impart 
strenofth  of  constitution  and  hardihood  to  the  larger  and 
more  delicate  animals  of  the  sheltered  low  orrounds. 

"  It  is  believed  that  cattle  are  generally  more  healthy 
and  free  from  epidemics  here  than  in  most  countries. 
This  may  be  attributable  in  some  measure  to  the  saline 
particles  which,  being  so  frequently  in  suspension  over 
the  island,  are  afterwards  deposited  on  the  herbage,  and 
tend  to  its  salubrity.  After  heavy  gales,  it  is  frequently 
found  that  the  orrass  all  across  the  island  has  a  stroncr 

o  o 

saline  flavor.  So  partial  are  cattle  to  this  flavor,  that 
they  will  greedily  devour  grass  which  has  been  watered 
with  sea-water  which  they  previously  rejected.  Two 
pipes  per  acre,  spread  from  an  ordinary  watering-cart, 
or  from  a  pipe  which  may  be  made  to  pour  into  a  long 
deal  box,  perforated  with  holes,  will  be  found  of  great 


THE    JERSEY,   ALDERNEY  AND    GUERNSEY  COW.         2/ 

Utility  where  sea-water  or  salt  can  be  obtained  at  small 
cost. 

"  The  Jersey  farmer  treats  his  cow  with  gentleness 
and  care ;  It  might  be  more  correct  to  say  that  his  wife 
does  so.  On  good  farms  she  is  usually  housed  at  night, 
after  the  end  of  October  to  the  end  of  February,  if 
heavy  rainy,  hail  or  snow  prevails.  It  is  deemed  to  be 
healthful  to  give  a  cow  a  short  run  daily  through  the 
winter,  excepting  in  stormy  weather.  At  this  season, 
which  is  usually  several  degrees  warmer  than  in  the 
mildest  part  of  Devonshire,  she  is  fed  with  a  certain 
portion  of  straw,  from  lo  lbs.  to  20  lbs.  of  hay,  with 
about  10  lbs.  to  20  lbs.  of  parsnips,  white  carrots,  tur- 
nips or  mangold-wurzel. 

"  The  small  portion  of  grass  which  she  may  pick  up 
in  the  winter,  with  the  above  quantity  of  food,  enables 
her  to  produce  a  rich  and  well-colored  sample  of  butter 
till  within  six  weeks  of  parturition. 

''At  this  period,  which  is  usually  regulated  to  take 
place  about  the  month  of  March  or  April,  just  when  the 
cow,  being  in  full  milk,  may  soon  be  placed  on  the  fresh 
spring  pasture  In  April  or  May,  she  is  an  object  of  ex- 
treme care.  On  calving,  sheds  given  a  warm  potation 
of  cider,  with  a  little  powdered  ginger.  Quayle  hints 
that  pet  cows  are  further  indulged  with  a  toast  in  their 
caudle. 

"  The  calf  is  taken  from  the  cow  at  once,  and  fed  by     . 
hand.     It  may  be  well  to  advise  that,  on  the  first  occa- 
sion of  calvinor,  the  calf  should  be  allowed  to  draw  the 


28  777^    JERSEY,   ALDERNEY  AND    GUERNSEY  COW. 

COW  fully ;  for  no  milking  by  hand  will  so  completely 
empty  the  udder,  nor  cause  the  milk-veins  to  swell  to 
their  full  development,  as  will  the  suction  of  the  calf. 

"  Some  of  the  early  meadows  produce  rich  grass  In 
March;  but  the  general  flush  of  grass,  which  comes  on 
generally  late  in  April,  is  the  period  when  the  Jersey 
farmer  looks  forward  with  anxiety.  The  cow  is  then 
tethered  to  the  ground  by  means  of  a  halter  5  or  6  feet 
long ;  this  is  appended  by  a  ring  and  swivel  to  a  chain 
which  encircles  her  horns,  closed  by  a  ring  and  bar ;  the 
other  end  of  the  halter  is  fastened  to  a  chain  6  or  8  feet 
long,  which  is  connected  by  a  swivel  and  ring  to  a  stout 
iron  stake  a  foot  long:  this  is  driven  into  the  ground  by 
means  of  a  wooden  mallet.  The  cow,  having  this  circu- 
lar range  of  1 2  feet  or  more,  is  compelled  to  eat  it  clean. 
She  is  usually  moved  thrice  a  day,  and  milked  morning 
and  evening,  on  many  farms  at  midday  also.  Under 
this  system,  the  writer  has  owned  four  cows  that  pro- 
duced 48  lbs.  Jersey,  or  above  51  lbs.  imperial,  weight 
of  rich  yellow  butter  per  week  in  the  month  of  May  and 
part  of  June. 

"In  very  hot  weather,  in  July  or  August,  it  is  advisa- 
ble to  shelter  the  cow  from  the  heat  and  flies ;  other- 
wise, these  tease  cows  to  such  a  degree,  by  forcing 
them  to  run  about  incessandy,  that  they  have  no  time 
for  repose,  or  for  chewing  the  cud  ;  they,  in  consequence, 
afford  much  less  milk  or  cream. 

*'  It  was  anciendy  thought  that  cream  from  the  Jersey 
cow  was  too  rich  for  making  cheese.     Mr.  Le  Feuvre, 


THE   JERSEY,   ALDER  KEY  AND    GUERNSEY  COW.        29 

of  La  Hogue,  who  has  a  fine  breed  of  cows,  tried  the 
experiment  two  years  since,  and  succeeded  to  admira- 
tion. It  was  made  from  the  pure  milk,  cream  and  all, 
as  it  comes  from  the  cow.  It  was  found  that  the  quan- 
tity of  milk  that  would  have  produced  a  pound  of  butter 
afforded  i  \  lb.  of  cheese. 

"  From  the  quantity  of  milk  which  produced  a  cheese 
of  20  lbs.  weight,  the  drainings  of  the  curds  and  whey, 
on  being  churned,  yielded  4  lbs.  of  butter.  This  butter 
was  of  an  inferior  quality  when  eaten  with  bread,  but 
was  superior  to  any  other  for  the  making  of  pastry ;  it 
was  peculiarly  hard,  and  of  excellent  texture  for  such 
use  in  hot  weather.  The  writer  has  tasted  cheeses  from 
Mr.  Le  Feuvre's  farm  quite  equal  in  quality  to  the 
richest  double-Glo'ster. 

*'  On  one  or  two  farms  besides  General  Fouzel's, 
butter  is  made  from  clouted  cream  in  the  Devonshire 
mode;  but  as  this  is  not  peculiar  to  Jersey,  it  is  not 
noticed  further  than  that  10  lbs.  of  butter  are  usually 
made  in  five  minutes  by  this  process.  The  usual  way 
of  procuring  the  cream  is  by  placing  the  milk  in  pans 
about  6  inches  deep — the  glazed  shallow  earthenware 
having  taken  place  of  the  unglazed  deep  vessels. 

"  It  is  admitted  that  the  richest  milk  and  cream  are 
produced  by  cows  whose  ears  have  a  yellow  or  orange 
color  within.  Some  of  the  best  cows  give  26  quarts  of 
milk  in  24  hours,  and  14  lbs.  of  butter  from  such  milk 
in  one  week.  Such  are  rare.  Good  cows  afford  20 
quarts  of  milk  daily,  and  10  lbs.  of  butter  weekly,  in  the 


30         THE   JERSEY,   ALDERNEY  AND    GUERNSEY  COW. 

Spring  and  summer  months.       Butter   Is  made    every 
second  or  third  day." 

The  following  letter  from  Col.  Le  Couteur  to  Col. 
Geo.  E.  Waring,  Jr.,  Secretary  of  the  American  Jersey 
Cattle  Club,  in  response  to  Inquiries  made  in  behalf  of 
the  Club,  will  give  interesting  particulars  down  to  a  late 
date  from  the  Island  of  Jersey: 

"Belle  Vue,  September  14,  1869. 

"  I  have  only  experience  to  add  to  anything  I  may 
have  written  in  my  essay  on  the  Jersey  cow  in  the  Joiir- 
7ial  of  the  Royal  Agriadtural  Society  of  England,  in 
1844,  which  has  reappeared  in  the  Transactions  of  the 
New  York  State  Agricidticral  Society  of  1850. 

"Our  farmers  have  not  the  singular  variety  of  ideas 
as  to  the  appearance  and  character  of  our  breed  which 
you  describe  to  prevail  among  the  members  of  your 
Club.  Our  breed  Is  believed  to  be  a  local  pui^e  breed, 
Its  original  milking  and  butyraceous  qualities  having 
been  improved,  more  than  three-quarters  of  a  century 
back,  by  carefully  crossing  In  the  line :  In  that  view, 
then,  without  much  regard  to  beauty  of  form.  Later, 
since  the  formation  of  our  present  Society,  of  which  I 
was  the  first  honorary  secretary  In  1834,  great  attention 
has  been  constantly  paid  to  combine  beauty  of  form 
with  butter-producing  habits. 

"  The  outline  history  of  our  breed  is  this  :  In  the  year 
1789,  the  Jersey  cow  was  already  considered  so  good, 
so  superior  to  any  then  known,  I  imagine,  that  an  act 


THE   JERSEY,   ALDERNEY  AND    GUERNSEY  COW.        3 1 

of  our  local  legislature  (which  for  such  ends  Is  quite 
independent  of  the  British  Parliament)  was  passed,  by 
which  the  importation  Into  Jersey  of  cow,  heifer,  calf,  or 
bull  was  prohibited,  under  the  penalty  of  two  hundred 
llvres,  wath  the  forfeiture  of  boat  and  tackle,  besides  a 
fine  of  fifty  llvres  to  be  imposed  on  every  sailor  on 
board  who  did  not  Inform  of  the  attempt  at  importation. 
Moreover,  the  animal  was  decreed  to  be  immediately 
slaughtered,  and  Its  flesh  given  to  the  poor.  Later  laws 
are  equally  stringent:  no  foreign  horned  cattle  are 
ever  allowed  to  come  to  Jersey  but  as  butcher's  meat. 

"  Guernsey  cattle  are  not  deemed  foreign,  but  there 
are  scarcely  over  a  dozen  of  that  breed  in  our  Island. 
They  are  of  larger  bone  and  carcass,  considered  to  be 
coarse,  though  famous  milkers,  requiring  much  more 
food  than  the  Jersey.  Our  judges  at  our  cattle-shows 
have  discarded  both  them  and  their  progeny. 

"  Those  enterprising  American  farmers  who  have  vis- 
ited Jersey,  and  have  found  a  marked  difference  to  exist 
between  the  cattle  of  the  Eastern  district  and  those  of 
the  Western  district,  being  cursory  visitors,  may  not 
have  been  made  aware  of  what  I  am  to  state.  I  believe 
the  type  to  be  the  same.  The  difference  in  appearance 
Is  thus  accounted  for:  The  north  and  north-west  coast 
of  Jersey  Is  high  and  precipitous,  a  bold  syenite  rock, 
rising  two  hundred  and  m.ore  feet  from  the  level  of  the 
sea.  Its  nearest  shelter  in  a  w^esterly  or  south-westerly 
direction  is  the  Island  of  Newfoundland,  or  the  British- 
American  shore.     South-west  gales  prevail  here   nine 


32         THE   JERSEY,   ALDERNEY  AND    GUERNSEY  COW. 

months  out  of  the  twelve.  While  I  am  writing,  a  hurri- 
cane from  the  south-west  has  burst  over  us,  and  burned 
all  the  exposed  trees  like  a  flame ;  it  has  ruined  scores 
of  orchards  and  gardens,  levelled  many  trees,  leaving 
the  pastures  like  damaged  hay.  Hence  this  elevated 
coast  has  usually  a  short,  scant,  rich,  nutritious  herbage, 
from  being  so  frequently  saturated  with  saline  moisture. 
Thus  the  cattle  on  this  side  are  small,  fine-limbed,  and 
hardy. 

"The  southward  half  of  Jersey  may  be  called  an  in- 
clined plane,  gradually  and  beautifully  slanting  to  the 
sea-shore,  watered  by  innumerable  streams.  A  part  of 
it  is  a  rich  alluvial  soil  and  meadow- land — so  sheltered 
and  warmed  as  to  produce  fruit  and  vegetables  a  fort- 
night or  three  weeks  sooner  than  in  my  neighborhood. 
The  cattle  of  this  district  are,  consequently,  fed  on  a 
richer  pasture.  They  are  larger  in  carcass,  some  think 
handsomer,  than  those  of  the  upland.  I  consider  them 
to  be  more  delicate. 

"  The  late  Earl  Spencer,  and  former  President  of  the 
Royal  Agricultural  Society,  England,  the  able  and 
worthy  contemporary  of  Bates,  Booth,  and  other  noted 
Short-horn  breeders,  had  a  fine  little  herd  of  Jersey 
cows.  When  on  a  visit  to  him  at  Althorp,  in  1839,  ^^ 
strongly  advised  me  to  recommend  our  farmers  never 
to  venture  on  a  foreign  cross,  nor  with  Short-horns  or 
Devons :  merely  to  cross  the  cows  of  the  low,  rich  pas- 
tures with  the  hardy  bulls  of  the  exposed  northern 
coasts,  and  vice  versa;  we  had  established  a  character 


THE   JERSEY,   ALDERNEY  AND    GUERNSEY  COW.         33 

in  our  cows  for  creaming  and  milking  habits  peculiar  to 
our  crumpled-horn  race,  to  hold  to  that  alone,  by  which 
means  our  breed  might  continue  as  renowned  in  the 
next  century  as  it  has  been  so  in  the  present  one. 
Many  have  held  to  that  sound  advice. 

"  I  shall  be  much  honored  by  receiving  a  copy  of  your 
Jersey  Herd-Book,  and  shall,  moreover,  feel  much  grati- 
fied if  what  I  have  written  shall  prove  interesting  or 
useful  to  you. 

"  Believe  me  to  be,  dear  sir, 

''  Yours,  very  truly, 
(Signed)  ''J.  Le    Couteur. 

"To  Col.  Geo.  E.  Waring,  Jr.,  Secretary,  etc. 

"  N.B. — We  have  never  had  rinderpest  or  cattle- 
plague  in  Jersey." 

We  will  close  this  interesting  chapter  on  the  Jersey 
cow  by  adding  the  following  very  thorough  and  highly 
sensible  and  practical  essay,  by  Col.  Geo.  E.  Waring, 
Jr.,  Secretary  of  the  American  Jersey  Cattle  Club,  and 
published  in  the  Herd-Register  of  the  Club,  Vol.  I., 
1871  ;  a  work  which  every  breeder  of  Jerseys  should 
have,  and  of  which  Club  they  should  become  members : 

"  There  have  been  many  theories  advanced  concern- 
ing the  origin  of  the  Jersey  breed  of  cattle,  but  the 
WTiter  has  been  unable  to  find  satisfactory  evidence  of 
the  truth  of  any  of  them.  It  is  quite  certain  that,  how- 
ever this  breed  may  have  originated,  it  has  been  vastly 


34         THE   JERSEY,   ALDERNEY  AND    GUERNSEY      ^;F. 

modified  by  the  circumstances  under  which  it  has  so 
long  been  cultivated ;  and  it  seems  to  me  that  we  need 
not  look  beyond  these  circumstances  for  the  causes  of 
its  peculiarities.  It  is  apparent  from  Col.  Le  Couteur's 
letter  that  there  are  two  distinct  classes  of  Jersey  cattle 
within  a  region  hardly  larger  than  Staten  Island,  New 
York.  As  the  inhabitants  of  these  islands  are  within 
easy  reach  of  the  principal  market-place,  it  is  natural  to 
suppose  that  interchanges  of  the  stock  frequently  take 
place ;  and  such  interchanges  have  undoubtedly  not 
been  uncommon  for  a  long  time.  Yet  the  distinction 
between  the  small,  hardy  animals  of  the  high-coast 
region  and  the  more  fully  developed  ones  of  the  shel- 
tered lowlands  appears  to  have  been  maintained.  This 
indicates  that  the  influence  of  local  circumstances  has 
been  sufficient  to  counteract  the  effect  of  cross-breed- 
ing. Naturally,  therefore,  it  is  fair  to  think  that  causes 
which  can  so  far  modify  ancestral  peculiarities  are  amply 
sufficient  to  account  for  the  most  highly  prized  charac- 
teristics of  our  favorite  race. 

"  Climate  has  much  to  do  with  the  matter,  through 
both  its  direct  effect  on  the  animal  and  its  indirect 
effect  through  the  quality  of  its  food.  Much,  undoubt- 
edly, is  due  to  the  admixture,  by  interbreeding,  between 
the  animals  of  the  different  localities.  What  modifica- 
tions of  the  race  are  to  be  traced  to  these  influences  it 
would  be  impossible  to  determine. 

"  Hardly  less,  probably,  than  the  effect  of  the  fore- 
going causes  is  that  of  the  system  of  agriculture  neces- 


THE   JERSEY,   ALDERNEY  AND    GUERNSEY  COW.         35 

sarlly  practised  by  so  dense  a  population.  The  extreme 
delicacy  of  limb,  the  slight  development  of  muscle,  and 
the  unusually  small  lungs  of  these  animals  may  be 
taken  as  a  natural  result  of  the  almost  entire  absence 
of  exercise  that  we  know  to  have  lonof  been  one  of  the 
leading  conditions  of  their  lives.  The  perfect  docility 
of  disposition,  the  evident  fondness  of  even  the  youngest 
calves  for  the  presence  of  man,  and  the  slight  dispo- 
sition to  roam  (especially  observable  in  imported  ani- 
mals), have  unquestionably  grown  from  the  door-yard 
and  household-pet  character  of  their  treatment  through 
long  generations.  The  unusual  secretion  of  fat  In  the 
milk  may  be  reasonably  attributed  to  the  slight  waste 
of  the  fat- forming  portions  of  the  food  that  moderate 
respiration  and  limited  exercise  make  possible,  and  to 
the  fact  that  fat  In  this  form,  rather  than  In  flesh,  has 
long  been  the  prime  object  of  the  farmer's  attention. 
The  beauty  of  appearance,  the  delicate  coloring,  the 
mellow,  kindly  eyes,  the  fine  horns,  and  the  softness  of 
the  skin,  may  be  in  part  due  to  original  characteristics 
of  the  breed,  or  of  its  several  ancestors,  and  in  great 
part  to  the  demand  that  taste  and  fashion  have  caused. 

"  It  would  be  interesting  to  know,  were  It  possible  to 
discover,  how  far  purely  natural  causes  (climatic  and 
geological)  and  how  far  the  Influence  of  man's  needs 
have  operated  in  determining  the  peculiarities  of  the 
breed  as  now  known. 

"  Reasoning  from  analogy,  and  remembering  the 
achievements   of  the  breeders   of  Short-horned  cattle. 


36        THE   JERSEY,   ALDERNEY  AND    GUERNSEY  COW. 

and  of  the  improved  races  of  sheep  and  swine,  it  is 
hardly  extravagant  to  ascribe  the  greater  importance  to 
human  intervention. 

"  Of  course  it  should  be  our  object  to  improve  on  the 
best  results  that  have  yet  been  attained  by  breeders  in 
Jersey,  but  we  should  be  extremely  careful  how  we  set 
about  it.  The  papers  quoted  at  the  commencement  of 
this  essay  convey,  probably,  as  good  an  idea  as  can  be 
obtained,  without  a  personal  visit,  of  the  social,  geologi- 
cal, agricultural  and  climatic  circumstances  under  which 
the  development  of  the  breed  has  taken  place.  Within 
certain  wide  limits  we  should  be  careful  how  we  deviate 
from  the  lines  of  influence  that  these  circumstances  have 
marked. 

"  It  is  very  commonly  asserted  that,  under  the  warmer 
sun,  on  the  broader  pastures,  and  with  the  more  lavish 
feeding  that  are  incident  to  our  own  operations,  the  breed 
has  improved  since  its  introduction  into  this  country ; 
also  that  the  progeny  of  imported  animals  are  usually 
superior  to  their  progenitors.  It  seems  to  me  that  this 
criticism  is  not  unquestionably  a  sound  one.  There  is 
no  doubt  that,  under  ordinary  American  treatment,  the 
animals  do  increase  in  size,  in  richness  of  appearance, 
and  in  the  quantity  of  their  yield  of  milk ;  it  is,  how- 
ever, very  doubtful  whether  this  general  enlargement  is 
a  real  advantage.  The  most  desirable  "qualities  of  the 
Jersey  are  quite  the  opposite  of  the  most  desirable 
qualities  of  the  Short-horn  or  the  Ayrshire ;  and  there 
seems  no  reason  to  suppose  that  we  shall  really  im- 


THE   JERSEY,   ALDERNEY  AND    GUERNSEY  COW.         3/ 

prove  the  breed  by  giving  it  the  characteristics  of  larger 
races,  else  we  had  better  breed  Short- horns  or  Ayrshires 
at  once. 

"  There  are  physiological  reasons  why  it  is  impossible 
to  combine  the  rich  creaming  quality  of  the  Jersey  with 
the  fattening  quality  of  the  Short-horns.     In  the  one 
case  or  in  the  other  the  most  perfect  result  is  to  be 
obtained  by  directing  the  deposition  of  fat  either  to  the 
adipose    tissues    or  to   the   lacteal    organs.       Previous 
experience  In  breeding  leaves  us  no  ground  to  suppose 
that  the  highest  perfection  of  both  can  be  obtained  In 
the  case  of  an  individual  animal,  and  It  Is  doubtless  an 
axiom  that  the  more  we  enrich  the  milk  the  more  do 
we  Impoverish  the  body,  and  vice  versa.    Within  certain 
limits  there  Is,  of  course,  an  advantage  in  increasing  the 
flow  of  milk,  but  this  should  not  be  carried  to  such  a 
degree    that,   in    the  vital  labor   of  secreting   a   large 
amount  of  the  fluid,  fat-forming  matter,  which  would 
otherwise  be  deposited  as  cream,  shall  be  consumed  In 
the  production   of  the  animal   heat  whose   elimination 
is  incident  to  all  vital  processes.     We  can  conceive  a 
case  In  which  the  chief  enerpfies  of  the  animal  oreanlza- 
tlon  are  devoted  to  the  secretion  of  a  copious  flow  of 
milk,  thereby  consuming  a  large  proportion  of  the  fat- 
forming   matter   which,    under    more    normal    circum- 
stances, would  have  taken  the  form  of  cream.     As  a 
rule,  though  It  is  a  rule  with  many  exceptions,  cows  that 
yield  extraordinary  amounts   of  milk  yield  thin  milk. 
This  is  a  recoq^nlzed  fact  amon^r  farmers,  but  there  are 


38  THE   JERSEY,   ALDERNEY  AND    GUERNSEY  COW. 

no  Statistics  on  which  to  base  positive  assertions  con- 
cerning it. 

"  Neither  is  it  possible  to  fix  an  absolute  standard  as 
to  the  most  profitable  daily  quantity  of  milk.  All  that 
we  can  do  is  to  watch  vigilantly  every  circumstance  that 
may  tend  to  augment  or  decrease  the  performance  of 
any  desirable  function.  As  a  broad  proposition,  the 
sole  office  of  the  yersey  cow  is  to  pi^oduce  the  largest  pos- 
sible amount  of  rich  and  higJily  colored  cream  from  a 
given  amount  of  food.  Everything  else  in  connection 
with  the  breeding  of  the  race  is,  or  should  be,  incidental. 
Beauty  of  form  and  beauty  of  color  are,  of  course,  de- 
sirable, but  no  wise  breeder  will  give  these  features 
more  than  a  secondary  position.  If  they  can  be  secured 
without  detracting  from  economic  value,  they  are  most 
desirable ;  but  if  in  seeking  them  we  lose  sight  of  the 
chief  aim,  we  not  only  do  injury  to  our  own  interests, 
but  permanently  detract  from  the  average  value  of  the 
whole  race. 

"  The  question  of  size  is,  doubtless,  of  great  import- 
ance, but  there  is  no  positive  knowledge  to  guide  our 
decision  concerning  it ;  at  least  I  am  aware  of  no  experi- 
ments that  do  more  than  to  indicate  which  is  the  wisest 
course  to  pursue.  So  far  as  uncertain  indications  are 
to  be  relied  on  at  all,  they  seem  to  point  to  medium  size 
as  the  most  desirable.  Further  experiments  as  to  the 
advanta<Te  or  disadvantage  of  laro^e  size  are  needed. 
Certain  aro^uments  in  favor  of  the  smaller  size  are 
worthy  of  consideration.     In  the  case  of  pure  breeding, 


THE   JERSEY,   ALDERNEY  AND    GUERNSEY  COW.        39 

where  calves  have  a  high  value,  more  calves  will  be 
produced  with  the  consumption  of  a  given  amount  of 
food  in  the  case  of  small  cows  than  of  large  ones ;  that 
is,  a  larger  number  of  cows  can  be  kept.  In  a  large  herd 
of  small  animals,  it  is  easier  to  keep  up,  throughout  the 
year,  a  uniform  supply  of  milk  and  its  products  than 
where  there  are  fewer  animals  of  a  laro^er  size  consum- 
ing  the  same  amount  of  food.  One  great  source  of  the 
demand  for  Jersey  cattle  is  the  necessity  for  a  few 
quarts  of  milk  regularly  supplied  for  family  use.  A 
large  Ayrshire  or  Dutch  cow,  giving  4000  quarts  of  milk 
during  the  year,  will  produce  an  oversupply  during  one 
season,  and  go  entirely  dry  at  another.  She  will  con- 
sume as  much  food  as  would  support  two  little  Jerseys 
giving  each  2000  quarts  of  milk,  one  coming  in  in  the 
spring  and  one  in  the  autumn.  In  perhaps  a  majority 
of  instances,  accommodation  can  be  furnished  for  only 
one  cow,  and  food  for  only  a  small  one.  For  such  cases 
the  smaller  Jerseys  are  especially  adapted,  such  as  will 
give  ten  quarts  of  milk  at  their  flush,  and  not  fall  below 
three  quarts  within  six  weeks  of  the  next  calving ;  the 
cream  increasing  in  proportion  and  becoming  richer  as 
the  quantity  of  milk  decreases,  thus  maintaining  a  satis- 
factory quantity  for  at  least  ten  months  of  the  year,  and 
yielding  enough  for  necessary  use  during  the  eleventh. 
"Until  we  are  able  to  establish  a  standard  better 
suited  to  our  wants  than  that  adopted  in  Jersey,  we 
shall,  if  we  are  wise,  adhere  as  closely  as  possible  to 
that.     Just  now,  when  so  many  new  fanciers  are  becom- 


40         THE   JERSEY,  ALDERNEY  AND    GUERNSEY  COW 

ing  interested  in  the  breed,  and  are  creating  a  factitious 
enthusiasm  for  certain  points  of  only  fancy  vakie,  there 
is  great  danger  that  those  characteristics  on  which  the 
permanent  worth  and  popularity  of  the  race  depend  will 
be  lost  sight  of.  The  idea  that  it  is  desired  to  convey 
cannot  be  more  clearly  illustrated  than  by  referring  to 
the  matter  of  black  points.  A  few  years  ago,  black 
points  were  unheard  of  as  an  important  feature.  Now 
a  very  large  majority  of  those  who  have  recently  be- 
come interested  in  the  subject  regard  a  black  switch 
and  a  black  tongue  as  alm.ost  indispensable  qualifica- 
tions. The  Herd  Book  published  on  the  Island  of  Jer- 
sey contains  the  entries  of  124  bulls  and  474  cows;  41 
of  the  bulls  and  106  cows  are  '  H.  C  (highly  com- 
mended). Of  these  147  animals,  24  are  said  to  have 
black  switches,  and  only  one  to  have  a  black  tongue. 
So,  too,  with  regard  to  color.  '  Solid '  color  is  with 
many  regarded  as  indispensable  to  perfection.  Of  the 
147  *  H.  C  bulls  and  cows,  only  45  are  of  solid  color  or 
nearly  so.  These  indications,  like  the  much  larger 
number  of  white  switches  and  white  patches,  are  given, 
not  at  all  as  being  of  special  advantage,  but  merely  as 
distinofuishinof  marks  to  serve  for  the  identification  of 
the  animals. 

"  That  a  decided  injury  has  been  done  by  those  who 
attach  more  importance  to  black  switches  than  to  good 
udders,  to  solid  color  than  to  large  milk  mirrors,  must 
be  evident  to  all  who  have  had  an  opportunity  of  com- 
paring the  older  with  the  newer  herds — animals  that 


THE   JERSEY,   ALDERNEY  AND    GUERNSEY  COW.        4 1 

have  been  bred  here  for  several  generations  with  those 
that  have  been  recently  imported.  It  sometimes  seems 
that  the  best  stock  must  have  already  been  cleared  out 
from  the  Island  of  Jersey.  Some  herds,  said  to  have 
been  selected  with  great  care  and  at  high  cost,  have 
appeared  to  be  deficient  in  milking  quality,  and  in  the 
indispensable  yellowness  of  skin  ;  while  their  solid  gray 
and  fawn  coloring  and  the  preponderance  of  black 
switches  indicate  plainly  enough  the  standard  according 
to  which  they  were  selected.  In  the  case  of  these  herds 
and  of  a  number  of  the  sales  importations,  there  is  an 
almost  universal  defectiveness  of  the  forward  quarters 
of  the  udder,  the  front  teats  being  carried  high  up  on 
the  forward  slope  of  the  bag,  and  being  not  more  than 
one-fourth  as  larore  as  the  hind  teats. 

"  Now  and  then,  however,  an  experienced  judge, 
selecting  cattle  on  the  island,  brings  over  as  good  ani- 
mals as  we  have  ever  received — animals  on  which  there 
are  generally  broad  patches  of  white,  but  whose  udders 
are  broad,  well  carried  forward,  evenly  teated,  and  of 
the  good  old  texture  and  size,  while  the  milk  mirror 
and  the  milk-vein  have  evidently  been  an  especial  ob- 
ject in  the  selection.  So  far  as  the  writer's  personal 
observation  has  extended,  he  has  never  seen  a  really 
first-class  cow  without  decided  white  marks  ;  and  of  the 
six  best  butter-makers  he  knows,  not  one  has  a  black 
switch  or  a  black  tongue.  This,  of  course,  proves 
nothing,  for  there  may  be  better  cows  than  he  has  ever 
seen  whose  color  is  uniform,  and  whose  tongues  and 


42        THE   JERSEY,  ALDERNEV  AND   GUERNSEY  COW. 

switches  are  black  as  night.  The  statement  is  made 
only  as  an  indication  that  for  the  valuable  characteris- 
tics, the  real  usefulness  of  a  cow,  these  new-fangled 
points  may  have  no  value.  As  a  matter  of  taste,  or 
beauty,  or  fashion,  they  may  have  great  value,  but  I 
conceive  that  those  who  are  seriously  undertaking  to 
maintain  the  breed  in  its  purity  and  perfection  will  give 
these  distinctions  their  merited  go-by,  and  strive  to 
maintain  the  wonderful  butter-developing  qualities  of 
the  Jersey.  Manage  as  we  may  in  this  regard,  we  can- 
not fail  to  secure  a  deal  of  beauty.  The  fine,  waxy 
horn,  the  light  fillet  around  the  muzzle,  the  mellow  eyes, 
and  the  clean-cut,  blood-like  look  never  appear  in 
greater  perfection  and  beauty  than  in  the  case  of  the 
very  best  butter-making  animals.  On  the  other  hand, 
the  most  uniform  of  grays  should  never  be  allowed  to 
redeem  a  thick  neck  and  shoulder  and  a  beefy  jowl. 

"  It  is  desired  to  maintain,  as  the  most  essential  prin- 
ciple of  all  in  breeding  Jersey  cattle,  that  improvement 
should  march  with  an  eye  single  to  an  increase  of  the 
butter-producing  quality,  very  little  regard  being  paid 
to  the  question  of  color,  which,  in  the  case  of  a  cow  that 
would  give  300  pounds  of  butter  per  annum,  might  be 
either  white  or  black,  or  anything  between.  Those  who 
make  beauty  of  appearance  the  chief  aim  of  their  oper- 
ations had  better  make  it  the  sole  aim,  and  give  up  the 
cow^s  and  breed  the  more  beautiful  deer  at  once. 

"  Beauty  and  utility  are,  of  course,  very  often  com- 
bined.     Variations   from    the   fixed   type    are   the   rule 


THE   JERSEY,  ALDERNEY  AND    GUERNSEY  COW.        4^ 

rather  than  the  exception  in  the  breeding  of  a  compo- 
site race  like  the  Jerseys.  Their  excellences  seem  to 
have  been  derived  from  several  sources,  and  viewed  by 
itself,  this  race  mieht  almost  be  reo^arded  as  a  mixed 
one.  It  is  only  when  compared  with  other  races  that 
its  typical  individuality  becomes  manifest.  However 
much  a  herd  of  Jerseys  may  vary  among  themselves, 
not  one  of  them  ever  looks  like  a  Short-horn,  an  Ayr- 
shire, or  a  '  native.'  Within  the  varying  range  of  color 
and  form  that  the  breed  presents,  there  are  many 
points,  such  as  the  black  switches  and  the  uniform  hues, 
which  may  be  singled  out  for  the  especial  attention  of 
the  breeder,  and  may  be  made  in  a  few  generations 
much  more  permanent  and  conspicuous  than  they  natu- 
rally are.  While  it  would  not  be  impossible,  it  would 
be  extremely  difficult,  to  give  prominence  to  two  distinct 
features — to  the  large  milking  qualities  and  to  the  black 
points — at  the  same  time.  The  difficulty  of  selection 
would  be  increased  many  fold.  It  would  be  possible^  no 
doubt,  to  establish  a  herd  of  1 5  lb.  cows  with  the  lead- 
ing fancy- color  points,  but  it  would  require  a  long  time, 
great  care,  and  probably  an  important  sacrifice  of  form 
and  fineness.  Then  again,  by  the  time  perfection  had 
been  attained,  the  question  of  color  might  have  come 
to  be  little  regarded,  or  the  fashion  might  have  changed 
entirely  to  fawn  and  white  color,  with  white  switches 
and  licrht-colored  tongues.  If  w^e  are  to  be  fanciers  in 
the  sense  In  which  those  are  who  breed  pigeons,  then  we 
may  very  properly  set  up  a  fancy  standard,  and  breed 


44        THE   JERSEY,   ALDERNEY  AND    GUERNSEY  COW, 

to  a  hair.  But  if  we  are  to  take  a  farmer's  view  of  the 
subject,  and  breed  for  whatever  will  produce  the  most 
money,  then  we  should  by  all  means  seek  for  such  a 
large  yield  of  yellow  cream  as  will  maintain  the  unques- 
tioned superiority  of  the  Jersey  for  the  economical  con- 
version of  food  into  butter,  and  such  striking  typical 
beauty  as  shall  keep  her  always  the  favorite  cow  for 
ornamental  purposes — a  beauty  that  does  not  depend 
on  an  adherence  to  arbitrary  points,  but  on  fineness  of 
breeding,  symmetry  of  form,  variety  and  harmony  of 
color,  and  the  deer- like  characteristics  of  head  and  eyes 
for  which  the  race  is  noted.  Such  a  standard  of  beauty 
as  thisj  admitting  great  variety  of  color,  allows  us  to 
seek  our  great  milkers  through  a  much  wider  range  of 
animals. 

"  The  indications  of  great  milkino-  are  the  same  with 
these  animals  as  with  all  others,  and  it  would  be  inap- 
propriate to  give,  in-  an  essay  on  a  single  breed,  a 
treatise  on  the  milch-cow  at  large.  We  all  know  by 
actual  test,  and  most  of  us  by  observation,  which  are 
our  best  and  richest  milkers ;  we  can  form  a  pretty 
good  opinion  of  the  quality  of  the  animals  in  our  neigh- 
bors' herds.  From  amonof  such  of  these  best  cows  as 
are  up  to  our  standard  of  beauty  we  might  select  the 
dams  of  our  future  herds  ;  and  by  always  keeping  the 
best  and  selling  off  all  below  the  best,  as  well  as  occa- 
sionally some  very  good  cow  that  has  fallen  away  too 
much  in  point  of  beauty,  we  might  be  able,  in  time,  to 
establish  a  stock  of  much  greater  excellence  than  any 


THE    JERSEY,   ALDERNEY  AND    GUERNSEY  COW.        45 

now  existing.  Success  In  such  an  undertaking  requires 
not  onlv  a  oood  deal  of  knowledore  at  the  outset,  and 
careful  attention  and  study  for  years,  but  it  demands 
that  a  standard  be  established  at  the  commencement 
from  which  no  Influence  shall  induce  us  to  deviate. 
The  points  of  excellence  that  are  to  be  considered  as 
absolutely  essential  should  be  as  few  as  possible,  but  in 
such  as  we  do  adopt  we  should  stop  at  nothing  short  of 
absolute  perfection. 

"It  is  out  of  the  question,  of  course,  for  a  single 
writer  or  for  any  committee  to  fix  the  standard  toward 
which  all  should  breed.  It  is  suggested,  however,  as  a 
very  good  standard,  In  the  absence  of  a  better,  to  seek 
to  raise  cows  of  7noderate  size  that  will  produce  300 
pounds  of  butter  In  a  year,  and  that,  while  being  of 
various  colors,  with  a  goodly  proportion  of  white,  should 
all  be  striking  examples  of  the  characteristic  beauty  of 
the  race.  For  value  and  satisfaction  to  their  owner,  a 
herd  of  such  cows  might  compete  most  favorably  with  a 
herd  of  solid  French  grays  with  black  points,  which, 
even  with  larger  size,  would  yield  only  two-thirds  the 
amount  of  butter. 

"  While,  so  far  as  personal  indications  are  concerned, 
more  reliance  is  to  be  placed  on  the  appearance  of  the 
cow  than  of  the  bull.  In  establishing  a  herd  the  bull  is, 
of  course,  of  infinitely  more  importance  than  any  single 
cow,  and  he  should  be  selected  with  even  greater  care, 
the  decision  resting  less  with  his  own  appearance  and 
points  (though  these,  of  course,  should  be  unobjection- 


46         THE   JERSEY,   ALDERNEY  AND    GUERNSEY  COW. 

able)  than  with  the  character  of  his  dam  and  both  his 
gra7idda77is .  The  great  cardinal  principle  of  judicious 
breeding  is  expressed  In  the  theory  that  '  like  begets 
like  or  the  likeness  of  some  ajicestorJ  The  more  remote 
any  ancestral  imperfection  may  be,  the  less  likely  is  it 
to  reappear.  But,  in  the  case  of  a  bull,  on  which  so 
much  depends,  there  should  be  no  glaring  defect  in  the 
dams  for  at  least  two  generations  back,  and,  of  course, 
the  longer  the  pedigree  in  which  we  can  trace  only  first- 
rate  cows,  the  better  by  far  will  be  our  chances  of 
success. 

"■  This  suggests  incidentally  another  point  on  which 
an  erroneous  opinion  seems  to  prevail.  It  is  consid- 
ered of  great  advantage  to  a  Jersey  cow  in  America 
that  she  has  a  sho7^t  pedigree.  This  is  very  well  simply 
as  an  evidence  of  pure  Jersey  blood,  but  it  has  no  other 
signification.  If  a  reliable  pedigree  can  be  given  and 
the  purity  of  every  ancestor  proven  for  ten  generations, 
the  animal  has,  so  far  as  purity  is  concerned,  every 
advantage  of  an  imported  one  ;  while  the  assumption  is, 
and  it  will  hold  good  in  case  of  all  our  breeders  who 
have  kept  accurate  records  for  a  long  time,  that  the 
animal  has  been  bred  with  more  care,  and  consequently 
is  intrinsically  better,  than  one  that  has  been  bought  in 
the  market-place  of  St.  Heller,  without  a  pedigree  or  a 
history,  and  sold  on  arrival  here  for  $300  or  ^400. 

"  One  great  advantage  that  it  is  hoped  will  result 
from  the  establishment  of  this  Herd  Book  is,  the  Intro- 


THE    JERSEY,   ALDERNEY  AND    GUERNSEY  COW.        47 

duction  of  the  elements  of  judgrment  and  skill  In  the 
work  of  improving  our  butter-dairy  cows.  We  shall 
henceforth  be  able  to  trace  out  the  ancestors  of  animals 
offered  for  sale,  and  to  learn  something  of  their  charac- 
ter ;  and  we  may  have  some  better  and  more  satisfac- 
tory guide  in  making  our  selections  than  the  simple  fact 
that  the  animal  was  bred  on  the  Island  of  Jersey,  and 
that  it  has  a  solid  color  and  black  points. 

"  Whether  we  have  or  have  not  now  in  this  country 
better  animals  than  are  to  be  found  in  Jersey  is  a  dis- 
puted question ;  but  that  we  have  here  ample  material 
for  the  development  of  such  herds  as  Jersey  never  saw 
cannot  be  doubted.  In  fact,  a  recent  visitor  to  the 
island  has  stated  that  such  a  thing  as  a  he7'd  does  not 
exist  there,  even  the  most  celebrated  breeders  keeping 
but  from  two  or  three  to  a  dozen  animals  all  told.  The 
care  given  to  the  race  in  so  limited  a  region,  where 
careful  inspection  is  not  out  of  the  question,  has  resulted 
in  its  great  improvement ;  and  there  are  doubtless  indi- 
vidual animals  that  it  would  be  difficult,  if  not  impos- 
sible, to  equal  here.  These  are  by  no  means  the  ani- 
mals that  are  sold  for  exportation.  That  the  Jersey 
breeders  do  not  claim  for  themselves  great  superiority 
for  the  development  of  the  race  may  be  inferred  from 
the  following  quotation  from  the  Report  of  the  Commit- 
tee of  the  Agricultural  Department  submitted  to  the 
Royal  Jersey  Society  in  1868:  'The  Committee  beg 
leave  to  call  public  attention  to  the  results  of  careful 
breeding  as   practised  by   Mr.   P.   Dauncey,   Horwood 


48  THE   JERSEY,   ALDERNEY  AND    GUERNSEY  COW. 

Rectory,  Bucks,  with  his  herd  of  Jersey  cattle.  These 
were  sold,  some  time  since,  by  auction,  when  sixty-nine 
head  of  stock  realized  a  sum  of  3136  guineas.  For 
instance,  a  cow  three  years  old  was  sold  for  100  guineas  ; 
a  two-year-old  heifer,  60  guineas ;  a  bull,  one  year  old, 
60  guineas.'  In  the  same  report  it  is  stated  'that  during 
the  year  one  agent  alone,  Mr.  Le  Bas,  had  shipped  from 
Jersey  2041  head,  representing  a  value  of  £29,000;' 
also,  *  That  the  first-prize  two-year-old  heifer  at  the  last 
May  show  was  sold  in  Jersey  for  £38  ;  and  the  first 
prize  in  yearlings  fetched  at  a  sale  £42.'  While  the 
sales  from  Jersey  for  exportation  averaged  about  £14 
per  head,  Mr.  Dauncey's  sale  averaged  over  45  guineas 
per  head,  and  his  best  animals  far  exceeded  the  prices 
fetched  for  first-prize  animals  in  Jersey,  though  there  is 
no  doubt,  other  things  being  equal,  that  the  purchasers 
of  the  Dauncey  stock  (there  being  no  Jersey  Herd  Book 
in  England)  would  have  preferred  imported  animals. 
The  conclusion,  therefore,  is  most  natural,  that  Mr. 
Dauncey,  working  with  material  derived  only  from  Jer- 
sey, far  exceeded  the  Jerseymen  themselves  in  the  value 
of  his  results.  With  a  Herd  Book  to  help  us,  with  the 
encouragement  of  high  prices  for  good  animals  and 
good  butter,  and  with  ample  material  to  start  with,  there 
is  no  reason  why  we  may  not  in  time  produce  a  stock 
better  than  has  yet  been  known. 

''  The  early  importations  of  Jersey  cattle  into  this 
country  are  most  difficult  to  trace.  The  animals  were 
then  called  Alderneys,  and  the  same  name  was  given 


THE   JERSEY,   ALDERNEY  AND    GUERNSEY  COW.        49 

to  Guernsey  cattle,  of  which  a  goodly  number  were 
brought  over,  and  they  seem  to  have  been  interbred 
somewhat  indiscriminately. 

**  The  following  is  a  copy  of  a  paper  kindly  furnished 
by  Col.  Craig  Biddle,  of  Philadelphia: 

" '  The  earliest  record  of  an  Alderney  cow  in  Penn- 
sylvania, that  I  am  aware  of,  will  be  found  in  Vol.  IV., 
page  155,  of  the  "Memoirs  of  the  Philadelphia  Society 
for  Promotion  of  Agriculture."     It  is  as  follows  : 

** ' "  I  have  upon  my  farm  on  the  Delaware  a  cow  of 
the  Alderney  breed,  imported  a  short  time  since  by 
Mr.  Wurts.  She  has  been  fed  in  the  usual  way  with 
potatoes,  and  during  the  last  week  the  milk  from  her 
was  kept  separate,  and  yielded  eight  pounds  of  butter. 
The  cow  is  a  small  animal,  and  is  supported  widi  less 
food  than  our  ordinary  stock. 

u  f  a  gy  communicating  this  fact  to  the  Society,  it  will 
oblige,  etc., 

"*''Jan,  II,  181 7.  Richard    Morris. 

"  '  "  P.  S. — The  cow  is  three  years  old. 
"  * "  To  Roberts  Vaux,  Sec.  of  the  Phila.  Society  for 
Promoting  Agriculture." 

'*  *  In  a  note  on  the  same  page,  it  is  stated  "  that  the 
cow  above  referred  to  is  now  in  the  possession  of 
another  member  of  the  Agricultural  Society ;  and  after 
a  fair  trial  made  with  her  during  last  summer  (1817), 


50         THE   JERSEY,   ALDERNEY  AND    GUERNSEY  COW. 

the  superior  richness  of  her  milk,  when  compared  with 
that  of  other  cows,  has  been  fully  tested.  She  gave  9 J 
pounds  of  extremely  rich,  highly-colored  butter  per 
week." 

''  *  Another  mention  of  the  same  cow  will  be  found  in 
the  fifth  volume  of  the  same  work,  page  47,  viz. : 

" '  "  Germantown,  Oct,  20,  1818. 

"  '  "  With  this  you  will  receive  a  pound  of  butter  made 
from  the  Alderney  cow  imported  in  181 5  by  Maurice 
and  William  Wurts,  and  now  in  my  possession.  She 
calved  on  the  13th  of  last  month,  and  is  now  in  fine 
condition,  running  on  excellent  pasture  of  orchard  grass 
and  white  clover,  and  gives  on  an  average  about  14 
quarts  of  milk  per  day.  From  this  quantity,  during  the 
week  ending  the  7th  instant,  we  obtained  10  quarts  of 
cream  which  produced  8  lbs.  2  oz.  of  butter,  and  the 
week  succeeding  102  quarts,  which  gave  81  lbs.  of  the 
quality  of  the  sample  sent.  You  will  perceive  it  is  of 
so  rich  a  yellow  that  it  might  be  suspected  that  some 
foreign  coloring  matter  had  been  added  to  it;  but  you 
may  rely  on  it  this  is  not  the  case.  I  may  add  that  one 
of  the  good  properties  of  this  valuable  breed  of  cattle  is 
the  ease  with  which  the  cream  is  churned,  requiring  but 
a  few  minutes  to  convert  it  into  butter.  When  a  proper 
opportunity  occurs,  I  shall  endeavor  to  ascertain  the 
quantity  and  quality  of  butter  to  be  obtained  per  week 
from  the  Kerry  cow,  imported  this  summer  from  Ire- 


THE    JERSEY,   ALDERNEY  AND    GUERNSEY  COW.         5  I 

land,  and  the  Brittany  cow  from  France,  both  of  which 
breeds  I  have  pure. 

"  *  *'  I  remain,  respectfully, 

"  '  "  Reuben  Haines. 
"  *  "  Richard  Peters,  Esq." 

"  *  In  September,  1840,  three  Alderney  cows  were 
purchased  by  the  late  Nicholas  Biddle.  They  were  im- 
ported from  the  Island  of  Guernsey,  and  brought  to  the 
port  of  New  York  in  the  schooner  Pilot,  Captain  Beleir. 
They  turned  out  to  be  remarkably  fine  animals.  This 
stock,  crossed  by  later  importations,  is  maintained  in  its 
purity  at  Andalusia,  Bucks  County,  Pa.,  the  country-seat 
of  Mr.  Biddle,  and  still  in  possession  of  his  family.' 

"  The  earlier  importations  made  by  Mr.  R.  L.  Colt, 
of  Paterson,  N.  J.,  were  of  Guernsey  animals,  or  at  least 
there  were  Guernsey  animals  among  them.  About  fif- 
teen years  ago,  he  became  satisfied  of  the  superiority 
of  the  Jersey  stock,  and  disposed  of  his  Guernseys  and 
made  fresh  importations.  It  has  been  alleged  that  the 
importations  made  by  Mr.  Gushing,  of  Watertown, 
Mass.,  were  in  part  Guernseys ;  but  this  has  been 
authoritatively  denied,  and  the  Gushing  herd  has  been 
proven  to  be  of  pure  Jersey  stock.  The  Guernsey  ani- 
mals in  these  earlier  importations  have  been  a  source 
of  great  annoyance  to  the  Committee  in  passing  upon 
animals  offered  for  entry.  In  many  instances,  fine  ani- 
mals, carefully  bred,  and  believed  by  their  owners  to  be 
pure  Jersey,  have  had  to  be  rejected  because  remotely 


52         THE   JERSEY,  ALDERNEY  AND    GUERNSEY  COW. 

tracing  to  the  Biddle  or  the  earlier  Colt  importations. 
Their  rejection  was,  of  course,  no  criticism  on  their 
quality. 

"The  call  for  contributions  for  this  essay  was  re- 
sponded to  by  only  two  or  three  members,  and  it  has 
seemed  best  to  allow  what  they  have  written  to  influence 
the  character  of  the  essay  rather  than  to  be  quoted  into 
it  with  unavoidable  repetition. 

*'  The  request  has  been  made  that  particular  points 
in  breeding  and  management  might  receive  espetial 
attention ;  the  idea  being  advanced  that  white  color 
indicates  a  deterioration  of  health,  but  there  seems  no 
sufficient  foundation  for  the  belief  to  warrant  its  incor- 
poration here.  On  the  contrary,  from  the  polar  bear 
to  the  white  bantam,  all  races  that  are  wholly  or  in  part 
white  seem  to  afford  ample  evidence  of  the  entire  com- 
patibility of  vigorous  health  with  the  absence  of  color. 
That  color  has  a  physiological  significance  is  not  im- 
probable ;  but  what  that  significance  is  we  are  far  from 
being  able  to  say,  and  the  practical  relation  of  all  such 
intricate  physiological  questions  must  be  referred  to  a 
more  advanced  state  of  knowledcre  than  our  own.  In 
like  manner  it  has  been  stated  that  a  bull  whose  tongue 
is  black  is  more  likely  than  another  to  impress  his  own 
characteristics  on  his  offspring.  A  careful  investigation 
of  the  evidence,  which  is  within  the  reach  of  all,  will 
surely  prove  that  this  theory  is  entirely  without  founda- 
tion.     So    lonor    as    black-tono-ued    bulls    bec^et  white- 

C5  O  O 


THE    JERSEY,   ALDERNEY  AND    GUERNSEY  COW.         53 

toneued  calves,  and  white- tono^ued  bulls  be^et  black- 
tongued  calves  (die  dams  being  of  the  same  color  in 
both  cases),  the  evidence  essential  to  uphold  the  theory 
seems  to  be  wanting. 

"  It  has  been  also  suggested  that  this  essay  should 
include  a  treatise  on  the  management  of  Jersey  cows. 
Except  with  reference  to  their  breeding,  there  seems  to 
be  no  necessity  for  treatment  different  from  that  which 
all  cows  require,  and  to  introduce  a  comprehensive 
article  on  dairy  farming  would  be  unnecessary,  and 
would  add  too  much  to  the  size  of  the  Register. 

"  If  this  breed  has  any  peculiarity  that  requires 
special  care,  it  is  the  persistence  with  which  its  better 
specimens  hold  out  with  their  milk  while  pregnant. 
This  tendency  is  surely  to  be  encouraged  within  reason- 
able limits.  If  a  cow  can  be  made  to  yield  a  fair  flow 
of  milk  up  to  within  four  weeks  of  her  calving- time, 
and  need  go  absolutely  dry  but  two  weeks,  there  is  no 
question  of  the  advantage  of  her  doing  so.  That  she 
should  milk  up  to  the  very  day  of  calving  indicates  cer- 
tainly a  good  milk-making  tendency ;  but  it  is  at  least 
not  proven  that  such  constant  milking  is  not  injurious. 
Persistent  milkinor  is  a  characteristic  merit  of  the  better 
class  of  Jersey  cows,  and  it  is  of  immense  advantage, 
not  only  in  the  case  of  a  single  family  cow,  but  in  those 
used  for  the  butter  dairy.  It  is  in  all  respects  better 
that  a  cow  should  commence  her  flow  at  lo  quarts  and 
not  fall  below  5  quarts  a  month  before  calving,  than 
that  she  should  give  20  quarts  the  first  month,  10  quarts 


54         THE   JERSEY,   ALDERNEY  AND    GUERNSEY  COW. 

the  third,  and  fall  to  5  or  6  quarts  when  three  months 
gone  with  calf,  and  to  nothing  two  months  later. 

"  But  few  contributions  have  been  made  by  members 
as  to  the  butter-making  quality  of  Jersey  cattle.  About 
two  years  ago,  Mr.  Charles  M.  Beach  made  a  careful 
experiment  with  three  pure  Jersey  cows,  three  grade 
cows,  and  three  native  cows,  an  experiment  which  was 
carefully  conducted  for  a  week.  The  animals  were  in 
essentially  the  same  condition,  and  were  kept  on  the 
same  food.  Each  lot  averaged  about  the  same  time 
from  calving.  It  was  found  that  to  make  one  pound  of 
butter  the  following  quantity  of  milk  from  each  sort 
of  cow  was  required : 

3  Pure  Jerseys 6i^  quarts. 

3  Grades 8^       " 

3  Natives ii  " 

"According  to  this,  a  Jersey  cow  giving  about  12! 
quarts  of  milk  per  day,  or  a  grade  giving  16J  quarts, 
would  make  as  much  butter  as  a  native  cow  giving  22 
quarts  per  day. 

"  Mr.  Thomas  Motley  makes  the  following  statement 
of  the  product  of  butter  of  the  Jersey  cow  Flora,  im- 
ported by  him  May  25,  1851  (then  two  years  old).  Her 
first  calf  was  dropped  June  18,  1851  ;  the  second,  June 
3,  1852  ;  and  the  third,  April  28,  1853.  Her  butter  was 
made  by  itself,  and  carefully  weighed  for  nearly  a  whole 
year  (fifty  weeks).  The  total  was  511  lbs.  2  oz.,  or  an 
average  of  lojlbs.  per  week. 

"  Mr.  Motley  states  that  this  cow  was  not  forced  in 


THE   JERSEY,   ALDERNEY  AND    GUERNSEY  COW.        55 

any  way.  She  had  only  ordinary  feed,  winter  and  sum- 
mer— good  feed,  of  course,  and  systematically  adminis- 
tered, but  nothing  to  so  stimulate  her  secretion  of  cream 
as  to  impair  her  subsequent  usefulness.  Surely  a  breed 
to  which  such  immense  results  are  possible  is  worthy  of 
our  most  fostering  care,  and  we  should  jealously  guard 
against  sacrificing  this  possibility  for  the  sake  of  fancy- 
color  points.  A  herd  of  cows  that  would  average  five 
hundred  pounds  each  of  Jersey  butter  a  year  might  be 
of  all  the  hues  of  the  rainbow  without  losing  popu- 
larity. 

''  Mr.  Motley  also  reports  the  following  trial  with  the 
same  cow  during  the  latter  part  of  her  previous  milk- 
ing :  '  I  tried  her  milk,  placed  by  itself  for  one  week, 
measuring  the  milk,  and  weighing  the  cream  and  butter. 
February  3,  1853,  40  quarts  milk  gave  10  quarts  cream, 
weighing  25 ^  lbs.,  and  7  lbs.  butter.  February  9,  'x>^\ 
quarts  of  milk  gave  9^  quarts  cream,  weighing  23  lbs., 
and  72^  lbs.  butter — 5  quarts  and  i  pint  of  buttermilk, 
weighing  15  lbs.  She  calved  on  the  28th  April  follow- 
ing, two  months  and  nineteen  days  after  the  trial.' 

"  Mr.  J.  Milton  Mackie  writes,  under  date  January 
30,  1870:  'Having  lately  obtained  a  set  of  glass  tubes 
for  testing  the  quality  of  milk,  I  have  got  results  as  fol- 
lows:  A  two-year  old  heifer  (dropped  April  2,  1867), 
which  dropped  her  first  calf  June  11,  1869,  showed  3^ 
inches  of  cream  on  a  column  in  a  tube  of  1 1  inches 
(milk  and  cream  together).  This  is  31*80  per  cent,  of 
cream.     The  milk  was  poured  from  the  pail  as  soon  as 


$6        THE   JERSEY.   ALDER.VEY  AXD   GLEEXSEY  CO IV. 

drawn  from  the  cow,  not  allowed  to  stand  for  a  single 
minute.  The  amount  of  cream  was  measured  in  the 
mornincr  after  the  milk  had  stood  in  the  tube  between 
fourteen  and  fifteen  hours.  The  tube  stood  in  the  milk- 
room  at  the  usual  temperature  for  setting  milk  in  win- 
ter. The  cow  had  been  fed  as  usual  that  day,  and  for 
days  before — say  about  two  quarts  of  mixed  bran  and 
feed  per  day,  on  cut  hay,  with  a  little  oat-straw.  I  may 
add  that  this  heifer  had  been  milked  on  the  morninof  of 
the  day  of  trial  as  usual.  I  know  of  no  reason  why  this 
experiment  is  not  in  all  respects  a  iair  one. 

'' '  The  mother  of  this  heifer  was  tested  in  the  first 
davs  of  November,  1866,  immediately  after  havinof  been 
purchased,  and  yielded  i  quart  of  cream  from  3  J  quarts 
of  milk,  fed  onlv  on  orass,  and  short  at  that.  The 
average  yield  of  my  Jerseys,  tested  by  the  tube  yester- 
day (Januar}'  29),  was  20'45  P^^  cent,  of  cream,  after 
standinor  less  than  fifteen  hours.'  '•' 

"  The  age  at  which  Jersey  cows  should  calve  seems  by 
common  consent  to  be  fixed  at  two  years.  If  allowed  to 
ofo  much  longer,  thev  seem  to  lose  somethinor  of  their 
natural  tendency  to  lactation.  The  precocity  of  the 
breed,  however,  is  so  great  that,  unless  care  is  taken, 
they  sometimes  come  in  much  earlier.  Mr.  Mackie 
writes,  under  date  June  3,  1870,  'My  yearling  "Hebe 
4th,"  out  of ''Hebe  ist,"  by  "Cliff,"  dropped  a  calf  last 

*  The  heifer  in  question  gave  2%.  quarts  per  day  at  the  time  her  milk  was  tested. 
The  herd  gave  four  quarts  on  an  average.  Of  course,  the  proportion  of  cream  was 
very  laige,  as  the  herd  was  drying  off. 


THE    JERSEY,   ALDER.XEY  AXD    GLERXSEY  COW.         5/ 

month,  when  she  was  only  14  months  and  2  days  old. 
She  calved  without  trouble,  behaved  Avell  in  every  re- 
spect; has  given  since  about  6  quarts  of  milk  per  day. 
.  .  .  She  is  thrifty,  and  I  don't  think  the  labors  and  duties 
of  maternity  so  early  imposed  upon  her  will  injure  her 
(growth  in  the  least.  The  takincr  the  bull  was  acci- 
dental ;  but  I  am  not  sorr)^  for  the  accident.  The  calf 
is  of  fair  size,  thrifty  and  handsome.' 

"It  seems  a  valuable  suo-o^estion  that  heifers  be  made 
to  come  in  with  their  first  calves  during  the  ver\'  flush 
of  spring  grass,  when  their  newly  used  lacteal  organs 
will  be  stimulated  to  the  largest  possible  development. 

*'  In  closing  this  brief  collocation  of  facts  and  opinions 
concerning  the  influences  under  which  the  Jersey  breed 
of  cattle  has  been  produced  and  developed,  and  the 
manner  in  which,  by  adhering  to  or  deviating  from  the 
conditions  thus  indicated,  the  race  may  be  still  modified 
or  improved,  it  is  regretted  that  the  material  was  not  at 
hand  to  make.it  more  complete.  Further  contributions 
are  requested  for  the  next  volume  of  the  Register." 


CHAPTER    II. 

HOW  TO    CHOOSE  A    GOOD   COW. 

Having,  in  the  first  chapter,  expatiated  on  the  pecu- 
Har  fitness  of  the  Guernsey  and  Jersey  Cows  for  the 
purposes  of  milking  and  breeding,  it  follows  that  I 
should  now  give  such  instructions  to  purchasers  as  may 
enable  them  to  choose  a  good,  serviceable  animal. 

Commencinof  with  the  s^eneral  confioruration,  it  is 
necessary  to  observe  that,  as  the  cow  under  considera- 
tion is  a  high-bred  animal,  very  nearly  the  same  general 
characteristics  should  be  observed  as  exist  in  a  well-bred 
horse. 

The  head  should  be  small,  slender,  and  lengthy  from 

the    eye  to   the   nose ;    the    horns   thin  and  open,  not 

cramped,  or,  as  it  is  frequently   expressed,  too   curly; 

the  eye  full,  but  not  too  prominent,  the  latter  quality 

indicating  an   excitability  and  consequent  restlessness 

of  disposition  that  is  not  favorable  to  the  production  of 

milk ;  the  ear  lengthy  and  broad,  and  well  fringed  with 

hair,  which  protects  it  from  the  annoyance  of  flies  and 

indicates  a  strong  constitution.     A  broad  muzzle  should 

be  avoided,  as  showing  a  tendency  to  fat.     The  neck 

should  be  long,  flat  and  narrow,  with  a  tendency  to  rise 

at  the  withers,  and  breadth  behind  the  arm  to  allow  of 
58 


THE   JERSEY,   ALDERNEY  AND    GUERNSEY  COW.         59 

a  full  expansion  of  the  lungs,  the  chest  being  rather 
deep  than  broad  ;  the  flat-sided  cow  is  more  especially 
to  be  chosen  as  a  milker.  The  hips  should  be  wide, 
rugged  and  high,  and  the  pelvis  (or  haunches)  wide  and 
large,  drooping  toward  the  tail ;  the  thigh  long  and  lean 
from  hip  to  hock,  the  veins  being  prominent  and  easily 
felt ;  the  legs  slender,  with  flat  bone  and  small,  flat  feet, 
the  hinder  ones  having  good  width  between,  to  afford 
room  for  the  udder.  A  lonor  and  thin  tail  is  a  ereat 
point  in  breeding. 

I  now  come  to  the  udder,  to  which  all  former  remarks 
are  secondary.  This  part,  the  reservoir  of  the  milk, 
should  be  free  from  hair,  flexible  and  soft,  with  no  tend- 
ency to  flesh ;  the  bag  extending  well  forward,  as  level 
as  possible  with  the  belly,  and  high  up  betv/een  the 
thighs.  The  feeding  veins  should  be  particularly  ob- 
served. In  the  heifer  with  the  first  calf  they  must  be 
felt  for  with  the  hand  ;  in  this  case  two  holes  will  be 
discovered  by  feeling  under  the  belly  nearly  in  a  line 
with  the  navel,  on  each  side,  in  good  milking  heifers,  of 
about  the  size  of  a  sixpence.  As  age  increases  the 
holes  extend,  and  the  veins  become  large  and  easily 
perceived  by  the  eye  ;  the  larger  these  feeding  veins 
appear,  the  greater  is  the  quantity  of  milk.  The  teats 
should  be  w^ell  separated,  not  fat  or  fleshy,  and  not  too 
long,  but  sufficiently  tight  to  retain  the  milk,  having  a 
tendency  downward — that  is,  to  use  the  technical  term, 
not  strutting,  or  pointing  away  from  the  quarters,  as  this 
causes  waste  of  milk  and  difficulty  in  milking.     These 


60  THE   JERSEY,   ALDERNEY  AND    GUERNSEY  COW, 

particulars  combine  all  that  In  ordinary  use  require  to 
be  attended  to  in  the  selection  of  a  serviceable  cow. 
There  are,  however,  some  few  remarks  to  be  made  on 
the  hide,  which  will  be  found  useful  In  determining  the 
fitness  of  particular  cows  for  particular  localities,  but 
having  little  to  do  with  the  milking  properties.  If  pos- 
sible. It  is  better  to  accustom  a  cow  to  cold  and  expo- 
sure by  degrees,  In  which  case  the  hide  will  adapt  Itself 
to  the  altered  condition  by  thickening  and  producing 
more  hair ;  but  when  this  gradual  adaptation  of  the 
animal  to  a  new  and  more  severe  climate  Is  Impractica- 
ble, choice  should  not  be  made  of  one  possessing  that 
great  delicacy  of  skin  and  covering  which  is  so  much 
coveted,  but  of  one  having  coarser  and  more  curly  hair 
and  thicker  hide,  which  features  are  Indicative  of  a  cus- 
tomary exposure,  when  the  other  points  show  good 
milking  properties. 

A  good  cow  not  only  yields  much  good  milk,  but 
almost  In  proportion  to  the  quantity  given  daily  Is  there 
a  long  continuance  of  the  secretion  between  the  periods 
of  calving. 

How  much  milk  will  a  cow  yield  ?  In  general  terms 
it  may  be  said  that  a  cow  yields  far  more  than  she 
needs  to  rear  her  offspring,  and  In  some  counties  two 
calves  are  made  to  suckle  one  cow,  or  the  milk  of  one 
cow  Is  given  even  to  more  than  two  calves  when  these 
are  reared  exclusively  by  the  hand.  It  Is  extraordi- 
nary how  much  a  young  animal  will  drink,  and  no 
doubt  the  function  of  the  udder  is  most  active  when 


THE   JERSEY,   ALDERNEY  AND    GUERNSEY  COW.        6 1 

the  natural  stimulus — the  act  of  sucking — is  in  full 
operation. 

Some  cows  yield  enormous  quantities,  and  I  am 
really  inclined  to  regard  the  very  extraordinary  drain 
occasionally  occurring  by  the  udder  of  a  poor  lean  cow 
as  unnatural  and  unhealthy.  It  is  not  unfrequent  to 
see  in  large  dairies  an  emaciated  animal,  with  every 
indication  of  great  constitutional  weakness,  and  even 
the  unmistakable  signs  of  phthisis,  yet  yielding  gallons 
of  blue  watery  milk.  We  frequently  observe  secreting 
organs,  from  some  cause  or  other,  unusually  active, 
much  to  the  injury  of  the  animal's  health,  and  some- 
times fatal  effects  result.  This  is  the  case  in  different 
forms  of  diabetes,  and  the  persistence  of  a  poor  milk 
secretion  to  the  last  moments  of  an  animal's  life,  months 
and  months  after  it  should  naturally  have  ceased,  may 
really  be  regarded  as  an  abnormal  state.  At  all  events, 
this  view  of  the  subject  is  w^orthy  of  consideration. 

Long  continuance  of  mammary  secretion  may  depend 
on  the  system  adapting  itself  with  difficulty  to  a  great 
constitutional  change.  When  a  cow  is  in  calf,  the 
development  of  the  foetus  calls  for  blood  which  is  drawn 
from  the  udder,  and  the  function  of  the  latter  ceases. 
If,  on  the  other  hand,  a  cow  that  is  not  pregnant  lays 
on  flesh,  the  deposition  of  fat  necessarily  restrains  the 
production  of  milk.  But  the  transudation  of  principles 
from  the  blood  in  the  mammal  becomes  in  the  course 
of  time  little  more  than  a  mechanical  process ;  and  pro- 
vided the  materials  enteringf  the  blood  are  not  stored 


62  THE   JERSEY,   ALDERNEY  AND    GUERNSEY  COW. 

Up  in  some  other  form,  they  are  very  readily  trans- 
formed into  the  elements  of  milk,  from  the  system  hav- 
ing become  long  habituated  to  the  peculiar  changes 
essential  in  this  process.  Accordingly,  some  good 
milkers,  and  particularly  old  cows  in  which  vital  activity 
is  constantly  decreasing  and  systemic  reaction  becom- 
ing progressively  more  and  more  difficult,  acquire  a 
sickly  appearance,  the  defective  lymph  is  deposited  in 
the  form  of  the  masses  of  tubercular  matter  so  con- 
stantly found  in  the  chest  of  old  cows,  the  animals  be- 
come phthisical,  the  organs  of  procreation  become 
unhealthy,  and  with  more  or  less  constant  irritation  of 
the  ovaries  the  cow  becomes  barren.  With  this  irrita- 
tion there  is  a  periodic  check  to  the  secretion  of  milk ; 
nevertheless  a  very  considerable  flow  continues,  not- 
withstanding the  obvious  waste  of  every  tissue  in  the 
animal's  body. 

The  fact  that  the  system  is  more  capable  of  under- 
going natural,  though  very  marked,  changes  in  early 
life  without  danger,  renders  a  young  animal  indispen- 
sable for  the  dairy,  either  to  breed  from  or  to  prove 
profitable  to  the  town  cow  keeper. 

To  DETERMINE  THE  AGE  OF  A  COW  is  therefore  a  matter 
of  importance,  and  this  can  be  done  with  great  precision 
by  examining  the  teeth  and  horns. 

The  horns  do  not  furnish  us  with  such  certain  indi- 
cations as  the  teeth,  and  great  facilities  are  offered  in 
some  animals  to  destroy  the  marks  of  growth  and  age. 

According  to  the  breed  does  the  length,  thickness, 


THE   JERSEY,   ALDERNEY  AND    GUERNSEY  COW.        63 

and  shape  of  the  horn  vary,  but  In  all  there  is  an  annual 
mark  left  of  continual  development.  In  castrated  ani- 
mals the  horns  sometimes  attain  extraordinary  propor- 
tions, but  this  in  no  way  affects  the  appearances  I  have 
to  describe. 

Shortly  after  birth  the  development  of  the  frontal  pro- 
cesses on  each  side  of  the  head  indicate  the  position  of 
the  future  horn,  which  appears  through  the  skin  within 
the  first  month.  At  the  ao-e  of  four  or  five  months  the 
little  horn  is  firm,  and  protected  by  a  scaly  cuticular 
covering,  which  exfoliates  when  an  animal  is  about  a 
year  old.  At  this  period  the  base  of  the  horn  becomes 
knotty,  and  a  circular  depression  between  the  skin  and 
the  bulging  horn  is  the  sign  that  the  animal  has  fully 
attained  its  first  year.  A  second  bulge  forms,  and  a 
depression  below  it,  by  the  second  year,  a  third  by  the 
third,  and  so  on  as  long  as  the  animal  lives. 

But,  in  calculating  the  as^e  of  a  cow  at  five  or  six,  an 
error  may  be  incurred  by  supposing  that  the  first  marks 
formed  can  be  readily  perceived.  It  is  only  the  third 
year's  circle  which  is  very  distinct. 

The  teeth  of  animals  develop  with  great  regularity, 
and  indicate,  by  periodical  changes,  how  long  they  have 
been  growing.  So  universal  are  these  marks  of  age 
amongst  the  lower  animals,  that  an  attempt  has  been 
made  to  determine  by  the  teeth  the  age  of  human 
beines.  But  an  artificial  existence,  with  circumstances 
occasionally  favoring  a  tardy  development,  and  at  others 
a  very  rapid  growth,  completely  set  at  naught  any  tables 


64         THE   JERSEY,   ALDERNEY  AND    GUERNSEY  COW. 

which  may  be  framed,  and  the  exceptions  are  too 
numerous  to  admit  of  accuracy  in  calculations. 

The  ao^e  of  the  ox  cannot  be  determined  with  so  much 
precision  as  that  of  the  horse,  from  the  diversity  in  the 
precocity  of  different  breeds,  as  well  as  the  very  various 
methods  of  management  they  are  subjected  to. 

The  obvious  changes  of  the  teeth  have  been  divided 
into  two  epochs.  The  first  consists  in  the  eruption  and 
wear  of  the  temporary  teeth,  and  the  second  the  erup- 
tion and  wear  of  the  permanent  teeth. 

First  Epoch. — There  are  two  periods  in  this  epoch — 
the  one  from  birth  to  thirty  days,  and  the  second  up  to 
eighteen  months.  A  calf  is  usually  born  with  four 
incisor  teeth  through  the  gums.  In  tardy  animals  the 
four  appear  within  the  first  four  days,  the  next  two  about 
the  fifteenth  day,  and  the  fourth  pair  from  the  fifteenth 
to  the  twenty-fifth  day.  The  second  period  of  the  first 
epoch  consists  in  the  wearing  down  of  the  temporary 
teeth,  which  occurs  successively  from  the  centre  to  the 
corner  teeth,  so  that  all  are  much  worn  by  eighteen 
months. 

Professor  Simonds  says,  "  The  putting  up  of  the  tem- 
porary incisors  and  molars  at  about  a  month  completes 
'  first  dentition ;'  and  as  there  is  now  a  given  number 
of  teeth,  so  any  addition  to  them  will  make  an  import- 
ant stage  in  the  further  process  of  teething.  When 
this  addition  takes  place,  the  temporary  teeth,  merely 
by  their  number,  cannot  avail  in  our  inquiries,  nor  can 
they  be  said  materially  to  do  so  up  to  that  period  by  the 


THE    JERSEY,   ALDERNEY  AND    GUERNSEY  COW.        65 

slight  wear  they  may  have  undergone.  The  general 
appearance  of  the  young  animal  for  the  first  few  months 
suffices  to  form  a  fair  estimate  of  its  age." 

The  second  epoch,  or  "  second  dentition,"  includes 
three  periods.  The  first  consists  in  the  successive  erup- 
tion of  the  permanent  teeth. 

In  referring  to  the  ox's  mouth  at  eighteen  months, 
Mr.  Simonds  says  it  has  been  shown  that  at  a  year  old 
the  four  middle  placed  incisors,  in  particular,  give  indi- 
cations of  wear  by  the  loss  of  their  sharp  edges,  and  in- 
creasing flatness  of  their  crowns.  ''  By  eighteen  months 
this  flatness  has  considerably  increased ;  it  is  not  now, 
however,  confined  to  the  teeth  placed  in  the  centre  of 
the  mouth,  but  has  extended  to  all.  The  jaw  of  the 
animal  has  also  grown  wider,  thus  increasing  the  spaces 
between  the  teeth,  so  as  to  leave  not  merely  their  fangs 
apart  but  likewise  their  crowns.  To  compensate  in 
part  for  their  diminished  length,  the  teeth  have  likewise 
risen  in  their  sockets ;  and  as  some  of  them  are  soon  to 
be  renewed  by  the  permanent  incisors,  the  powers  of 
absorption  have  commenced  in  their  fangs.  These 
various  causes,  more  or  less  modified  in  different  ani- 
mals, give  to  the  mouth  an  appearance  which  is  quickly 
recognized." 

I  may  remark  that  the  indications  of  age  here  given 

for  eio^hteen  months  I  have  seen  in  backward  breeds  at 

twenty  or  twenty-two  months,  and,  as  Girard  says,  the 

middle    permanent    incisors  are    then  out  at  two  years; 

the   next  two,  between  two  and  three ;  the  next  two, 
9 


66        THE   JERSEY,   ALDERNEY  AND    GUERNSEY  COW. 

between  three  and  four;  and  the  next,  between  four 
and  five,  when  the  full  complement  of  permanent  teeth 
is  observed  in  the  mouth.  But  undoubtedly  this  erup- 
tion often  occurs  far  more  rapidly. 

The  second  period  of  the  second  dentition  is  that  in 
which  the  incisor  teeth  undergo  a  manifest  change  in 
their  wearing  aspect,  whereby  the  age  of  a  cow  can  be 
told.  This  period  extends  from  five  to  nine  years  of 
age,  and  annually  each  succeeding  pair  is  observed 
worn  down. 

In  the  third  period  of  the  second  dentition  the  form 
of  the  teeth  completely  alters ;  the  upper  surface  be- 
comes progressively  narrower  and  flatter.  The  teeth 
become  very  short  and  detached  from  each  other,  until 
in  extreme  old  age  they  fall  out. 

In  the  upper  jaw,  the  ox  tribes  possess  no  teeth,  but 
a  pad  to  apply  against  the  incisors.  In  early  life  the 
rudiments  of  teeth  are  observed  springing  from  the 
intermaxillary  bone,  but  a  tough  fibro-elastic  cushion, 
covered  by  the  firm  mucous  membrane,  becomes  con- 
solidated as  the  animal  acquires  age. 

I  have  not  referred  to  many  accidents  which  affect  the 
regularity  of  'growth  and  eruption  of  the  worn  teeth  of 
cows,  but  they  are  very  common.  Thus  a  temporary 
tooth  may  be  prematurely  removed  when  an  animal  is 
biting  some  tough  root,  or  a  tooth  may  be  knocked  out. 
The  early  removal  of  a  temporary  tooth  does  not  always 
ensure  the  early  appearance  of  a  permanent  one,  and 
this  is  seen  In  some  Yorkshire  colts  which  have  disap- 


THE   JERSEY,   ALDERNEY  AND    GUERNSEY  COW.         6/ 

pointed  the  hopes  of  their  tricky  masters,  who,  in 
attempting  to  make  a  horse  look  old  by  drawing  some 
of  his  teeth,  in  order  that  they  may  be  believed  to  have 
been  shed,  retards  the  growth  of  the  teeth  that  are  to 
replace  them.  The  pressure  on  the  permanent  tooth 
as  it  advances  to  displace  the  temporary  produces  a 
certain  degree  of  irritation,  and  a  determination  of 
blood  to  the  parts  favorable  to  the  development  of  the 
former. 

Mr.  Simonds  says,  "Among  the  anomalies  which  are 
met  with  in  the  teethinof  of  oxen,  the  cuttino  of  one 
tooth  of  a  given  pair  four  or  five  weeks  before  the  other 
is  the  most  frequent.  The  tooth  thus  put  up  out  of 
regular  order  is  likely  to  lead  to  an  error  with  reference 
to  the  animal's  age.  My  own  observations  go  to  show 
that  in  most  instances  it  is  a  premature  cutting  of  the 
one,  and  not  a  delay  in  the  coming  up  of  the  other  tooth, 
which  produces  the  anomaly ;  and  consequently  that 
the  animal  is  younger  than  he  appears  to  be  at  first 
sight.  I  have  noticed  that  this  irregularity  applies  far 
more  frequently  to  the  third  and  fourth  pairs  than  to 
either  the  first  or  second." 

To  Determine  the  Milking  Qualities  of  a  Cow, 
many  important  points  have  to  be  considered.  We 
shall  classify  them  under  two  heads :  Constitutional  or 
rather  Systemic  Characters,  and  Local  Peculiarities  of 
the  Mammary  Glands. 

Whether  destined  for  the  production  of  flesh  or  milk, 
the  cows  of  any  breed  may  possess  the  distinguishing 


68         THE   JERSEY,   ALDERNEY  AND    GUERNSEY  COW. 

features  of  milkers — the  comparison  as  to  superiority  or 
inferiority  being  instituted  between  animals  of  the  same 
breed.  Nevertheless,  the  good  dairy  cattle  possess 
such  a  development  of  good  milking  points,  that,  regard- 
less of  other  tests,  we  can  from  these  determine  to  a 
great  extent  if  belonging  to  a  milking  breed. 

The  head  should  be  clearly  distinguished  from  that  of 
a  bull  by  lightness,  sharpness  of  outline,  clean  bone,  well 
developed  skull,  with  broad  forehead  and  well  mounted 
horn.  I  do  not  like  a  long-faced  cow  with  narrow  cra- 
nium, heavy  brow  and  thick  prominent  muzzle. 

The  neck  varies  very  considerably  in  different  breeds. 
It  should  be  light,  of  moderate  length,  with  a  nice  curve, 
so  that  the  head  when  raised  appears  prettily  held. 

From  the  withers  to  the  root  of  the  tail,  the  spine 
should  be  straio^ht  and  broad.  The  withers  round  and 
broad,  the  loins  wide,  and,  according  to  some,  the  spi- 
nous processes  of  the  lumbar  vertebrae  should  bend  well 
forwards,  so  as  to  leave  space  between  them  and  the 
spinous  process  of  the  sacrum. 

A  good  back  is  usually  seen  with  a  good  body,  deep 
and  prominent  ribs  well  back  towards  the  ileum,  and 
not  only  allowing  free  play  for  the  heart  and  lungs,  but 
room  for  the  digestive  and  reproductive  organs. 

The  belly  in  young  animals  should  be  neat  and  round. 
It  droops  with  age,  especially  when  a  cow  has  borne 
several  calves. 

The  limbs  should  be  well  proportioned,  the  fore  ones 
light,  especially  towards  their  upper  part,  and  the  hind 


THE   JERSEY,   ALDERNEY  AND    GUERNSEY  COW.         69 

ones  broad,   with  full   flat  thighs,   broad    clean   hocks, 
straight  and  short  legs. 

The  skin  should  be  free,  thin,  and  may  be  covered 
with  hair  of  any  color,  according  to  the  breed.  In 
some,  as  in  the  Jersey  cattle,  a  light  color  is  preferred. 
Amongst  Brittany  cows  the  light-colored  cows  are  usu- 
ally coarse,  wild,  and  unproductive.  The  black  and 
white  cows  are  preferred.  Amongst  Ayrshlres  a  good 
reddish  brown  and  white  cow  is  considered  the  best. 
Color  is  of  little  value  to  determine  quality,  especially 
in  comparison  with  the  nature  of  the  skin.  I  have  never 
seen  a  cow  with  a  really  good  skin  a  bad  milker.  It 
is  as  certain  a  sign  as  most  of  the  more  generally  re- 
puted ones.  In  some  instances  the  hide  is  fine,  and  feels 
thicker  than  it  really  is,  from  the  unhealthy  condition  of 
a  cow.  I  know  of  no  fault  I  dislike  more  than  really 
thick  skin.  .  . 

The  tail  is  by  some  much  looked  to,  and  it  Is  be- 
lieved that  when  fine,  and  reaching  down  to  the  hocks, 
with  a  fine  tuft  of  hair,  it  Is  associated  with  other  eood 
milking  points. 

It  is  an  essential  quality  In  a  cow  that  she  should  be 
good  tempered,  lively,  and  in  such  constitutional  vigor 
as  to  feed  well,  ruminate  much,  and  thrive  well.  The 
perfect  state  of  the  digestive  system  is  a  very  im- 
portant matter.  And  we  have  before  said  that  a  good 
conformation  of  chest,  Indicating  great  power  of  the 
respiratory  organs,  is  much  to  be  desired.  All  these 
qualities  render  an  animal  constitutionally  strong,  and 


70        THE   JERSEY,   ALDERNEY  AND    GUERNSEY  COW. 

enable  it  to  yield  milk  to  the  full  extent  of  its  milking 
qualities. 

The  udder  of  the  cow  is  constituted  by  four  or  six 
mammse,  two  or  three  on  each  side.  Rarely  do  we  find 
more  than  four  secreting,  and  they  are  therefore  called 
the  quarters  of  the  udder.  The  whole  of  the  quarters 
are  in  the  cow  enveloped  by  a  common  fibrous  tunic, 
tough  and  elastic,  connected  with  the  abdominal  fascia 
by  similar  fibro-elastic  textures.  This  outer  envelope 
is  closely  adherent  to  the  skin,  and  on  its  glandular 
aspect  is  connected  with  numerous  prolongations  or 
septa  intersecting  the  gland  and  supporting  its  different 
lobes  and  lobules.  The  tube  passing  through  the  teat 
or  nipple  may  be  regarded  as  the  stem  connected  with 
a  considerable  cavity,  and  from  which  spread  many 
branches ;  these  traverse  the  substance  of  the  organ  in 
every  direction,  and  are  connected  with  clusters  of  gland 
vesicles.  Like  all  compound  racemose  glands,  they 
may  be  compared  to  bunches  of  grapes,  the  acini  or 
grapes  being  connected  by  areolar  or  connective  tissue, 
which  constitutes  the  framework  or  skeleton  of  the 
organ,  and  is  transformed  into  or  continuous  with  the 
outer  fibro-elastic  envelope. 

The  teat  itself,  composed  of  the  outer  skin,  of  a  fibro- 
vascular  and  partly  erectile  tissue,  possessed  also  of 
considerable  muscular  contractility,  is  traversed  through 
its  centre  by  the  milk  duct,  communicating,  as  I  have 
before  said,  with  a  milk  reservoir,  and  through  it  with 
every  other  tube  in  the  gland.     The  tubes  which  con- 


THE   JERSEY,   ALDERNEY  AND    GUERNSEY  COW.       71 

verge  towards  the  milk  reservoir  have  received  the 
name  of  Galactophorus  ducts. 

The  different  quarters  of  a  cow's  udder  are  suppHed 
by  separate  arteries  with  blood.  In  company  with  these 
arteries  are  numerous  veins,  the  development  of  which 
is  very  marked  in  some  cows.  The  udder  veins  dis- 
charge their  blood  in  great  part  into  the  thigh  vein,  but 
also  in  the  abdominal  vein,  which  sometimes  attains  such 
a  considerable  size. 

The  udder  of  a  cow  may  be  very  large,  from  an  abun- 
dance of  the  areolar  or  connective  tissue  above  men- 
tioned. This  constitutes  a  "  fleshy  "  udder,  and  is  not 
a  desirable  quality.  If  the  gland  be  firm  and  rich  in 
gland  vesicles,  with  a  nice  fine  skin,  it  is  much  to  be 
preferred. 

The  fore-quarters  of  the  udder  should  advance  well 
under  the  belly,  and  the  teats  pointing  obliquely  out- 
wards.    The  back-quarters  well  up  behind  and  broad. 

With  reo^ard  to  the  veins  as  indications  of  milkine 
quality,  we  can  rely  less  on  the  so-called  **  milk  vein  " 
than  is  often  supposed.  If  large  and  tortuous,  with  a 
considerable  opening  through  the  muscles  of  the  belly 
to  admit  of  its  passage  outwards,  it  is  frequently  con- 
nected with  a  rich  udder ;  but  far  greater  reliance  can 
be  placed  on  the  network  of  veins  seen  beneath  the  skin 
over  the  fore-quarters  of  the  udder.  This  characteristic 
is  little  noticed  by  authors,  and  I  have  rarely  heard 
dairymen  or  dealers  in  cattle  speak  of  it.  But  both  the 
veins  and  the  udder  itself,  and  those  which  pass  up- 


'J 2        THE   JERSEY,  ALDERNEY  AND   GUERNSEY  COW. 

wards  behind  towards  the  tail,  in  fact  over  the  peri- 
naeum,  when  large,  are  sure  tests  of  a  competent  milker. 
Magne  has  noticed  this  mark  more  than  other  persons, 
though  our  own  numerous  observations,  which  agree 
with  Professor  Magne's,  date  several  years  back.  I  can- 
not refrain  from  quoting  his  remarks : 

''Veins  of  the  Udder  and  of  the  PerincEtim. — The  veins 
of  the  udder  and  the  perinseum,  to  which  hitherto  suf- 
ficient importance  has  not  been  given,  are  able  to  fur- 
nish valuable  indications.  They  should,  in  both  cases, 
be  highly  developed,  large  and  varicose ;  that  is,  exhibit 
inflations  and  nodosities. 

"'  The  veins  of  the  udder  have  no  definite  direction. 
They  present  themselves  very  irregularly,  under  the 
form  of  zigzag  lines,  knotted,  and  more  or  less  oblique. 
They  are  never  of  very  large  size,  except  in  cows  which 
give  great  quantities  of  milk. 

"  The  veins  of  the  perinaeum  directed  from  above 
downwards,  forming  a  winding  line,  interspersed  with 
knots,  resemble  those  of  the  udder  in  not  being  visible 
either  in  heifers  or  in  beasts  of  middling  quality.  We 
cannot  ascertain  their  presence  in  any  but  very  good 
cows. 

"  In  the  cow  on  which  we  saw  the  vein  of  the  peri- 
naeum for  the  first  time,  in  the  vicinity  of  Lille,  in  1847, 
in  company  with  MM.  Delplanque  and  Pommeret,  this 
vein  formed  a  very  large  knotted  and  winding  line. 
The  Dutch  cow  which  had  it,  though  not  of  large  size, 
gave  seventy  pints  daily,  and  did  not  become  dry  while 


THE    JERSEY,   ALDERNEY  AND    GUERNSEY  COW.        73 

in  calf.  All  the  surface  of  the  udder  was  varicose, 
interspersed  with  transverse  veins. 

''Since  that  particular  case  drew  our  attention  to  this 
mark,  we  have  had  opportunities  of  observing  it  on  a 
very  great  number  of  cows.  M.  Collot  also  gives  this 
vein  as  one  of  the  marks  of  excellent  milkers. 

"  The  veins  of  the  perinaeum,  in  the  best  milkers,  form 
a  network  beneath  the  skin,  which  it  raises  up  in  a 
greater  or  less  degree.  In  some  of  the  best  cows,  these 
veins  mark  their  position  by  a  large  knotted  line,  but 
most  frequently,  in  order  to  make  them  visible,  it  is 
necessary  to  use  pressure  across  the  skin  at  the  base  of 
the  perinaeum.  The  pressure  causes  them  to  swell,  and 
makes  them  discernible  both  by  sight  and  touch.  It  is 
even  easy,  by  making  the  blood  flow  back  towards  the 
vulva,  to  produce  very  apparent  undulations. 

''  We  should  always  pay  attention  to  these  movements 
of  the  blood,  in  order  not  to  mistake  the  folds,  some- 
times exhibited  by  the  skin  of  the  perinaeum,  for  veins. 
Error  is  especially  to  be  feared  in  the  case  of  fat  cows, 
on  account  of  the  fatty  inflations  which  appear  in  the 
perinaeum.  The  veins  buried  in  fat  cannot  be  distin- 
guished by  the  motions  of  the  blood,  which  often  are  by 
no  means  apparent. 

"In  some  cows,  the  vein  Is  found  between  two  folds 

on  each  side  of  the  perinaeum  ;  it  is  there  much  less 

prominent  than  the  folds,  and  becomes  perceptible  only 

by  the  fluctuation  of  the  blood. 

"At  other  times  (this  is  when  the  perinaeum  is  united, 
10 


74         THE   JERSEY,  ALDERNEY  AND   GUERNSEY  COW. 

when  the  skin  Is  thin,  and  the  cow  old),  the  veins,  though 
little  developed,  are  apparent,  or  easily  become  so,  with- 
out being  very  bulky.  It  is  necessary  to  have  regard 
to  their  size ;  though  they  may  be  very  easily  detected, 
still,  if  they  are  small,  the  cows  are  not  very  good. 

''  It  is  not  always  on  the  upper  part  of  the  perinaeum, 
near  the  vulva^  that  the  vein  is  most  visible  ;  sometimes 
it  is  discernible  only  in  the  lower  part  of  this  region, 
near  the  udder ;  it  there  appears  under  the  form  of 
knots,  which  are,  at  times,  very  large,  and  are  observed 
on  the  perinaeum  and  the  udder,  and  the  space  between 
them. 

"  Of  all  the  marks  of  abundant  milk  secretion,  the 
best,  and  indeed  the  only  infallible  marks,  are  furnished 
by  the  veins  of  the  perinaeum  and  of  the  udder.  But, 
although  the  surest,  they  are  not  absolutely  decisive. 

"To  estimate  them,  it  is  necessary  to  take  into  ac- 
count the  state  of  the  cows  in  respect  of  flesh,  the  thick- 
ness of  the  skin,  food,  general  activity,  fatigue,  journeys, 
heat;  all  the  circumstances,  in  short,  which  cause  varia- 
tions in  the  general  state  of  the  circulation,  and  in  the 
dilatation  of  the  veins.  It  is  necessary,  moreover,  to 
recollect  that  in  both  sexes  all  the  veins  are  larger  in 
the  old  than  in  the  young;  that  the  veins  which  encircle 
the  udder  are  those  which,  if  the  cows  are  in  milk,  vary 
most  according  to  the  different  periods  of  life  ;  though 
scarcely  apparent  in  youth,  they  are  of  considerable  size 
when,  after  several  calvings,  the  operation  of  milking 
has  given  the  gland  its  full  development. 


THE   JERSEY,   ALDERNEY  AND    GUERNSEY  COW.        75 

*'This  proportion  between  the  size  of  the  veins  and 
the  milk  secreted  is  observed  in  all  females,  without 
exception.  The  largeness  of  the  veins  and  their  vari- 
cose state,  being  a  consequence  of  the  quantity  of  blood 
attracted  by  the  activity  of  the  milk  glands,  is  not  only 
the  sign  but  also  the  measure  of  this  activity ;  the  con- 
nection between  the  two  phenomena  is  such  that,  If  the 
glands  do  not  give  an  equal  quantity  of  milk,  the  larger 
veins  are  on  the  side  of  the  gland  which  gives  the  larger 
quantity." 

There  remains  for  me  to  notice  the  most  valuable  of 
all  methods  to  determine  the  milking  qualities  of  the 
cow.  It  is  Guenon's  system.  Franc^ois  Guenon,  risen 
from  the  humbler  classes,  and  from  his  boyhood  being 
amongst  milch  cows  in  his  native  country  in  the  vicinity 
of  Bordeaux,  narrowly  observed  the  relation  between 
the  amount  of  milk  secreted  and  the  development  of 
the  patch  of  skin,  covered  with  upturned  hair,  extending 
from  the  udder  upwards,  and  laterally  over  the  thighs. 
He  determined  from  this  that  It  is  possible  with  great 
accuracy  to  determine  the  value  of  a  dairy  cow. 

For  long  was  Guenon's  system  a  secret.  His  career 
has,  however,  been  most  fortunate,  and  the  substantial 
manner  In  which  he  established  his  claims  as  a  discov- 
erer In  this  very  important  matter  has  Insured  him  much 
distinction. 

"The  Agricultural  Society  of  Bordeaux  appointed  a 
committee,  in  1837,  to  test  Guenon's  capabilities,  and 
they   reported   that,   although   the   mode   by  which  he 


^6        THE   JERSEY,  ALDERNEY  AND    GUERNSEY  COW. 

ascertained  these  qualities  was  a  secret,  he  had  suc- 
ceeded in  satisfying  them  of  the  reahty  of  the  system 
he  pursued.  They  subjected  his  process  to  an  experi- 
mental test  which  was  very  effectual.  Separate  cows 
were  brought  from  strange  dairies,  and  he  wrote  down 
the  characteristics  and  qualities  of  each.  These  were 
compared  with  the  separate  statements  given  by  the 
owners  of  the  animals  ;  and,  in  cases  of  more  than  sixty 
head,  he  succeeded  in  stating  all  their  peculiarities  ex- 
actly, excepting  a  very  slight  difference  in  appraising  the 
quantity  of  milk — a  difference  the  committee  attributed 
solely  to  the  quality  of  food  given  to  the  animal. 

''The  Central  Society  of  Agriculture  of  Cantal  also 
reported  upon  his  system  with  equal  favor.  They  thus 
describe  the  process  of  investigation  pursued :  *  He  ac- 
companied the  members  of  your  committee  to  the  farm 
of  Verac,  belonging  to  the  president  of  the  society.  He 
examined  with  scrupulous  attention  the  fine  dairy  cows 
of  this  domain,  which  is  composed  of  one  hundred  milch 
cows  of  the  best  kind  in  the  country.  .  .  .  M.  Guenon 
gave  upon  each  of  them  separately  precise  indications 
as  to  the  quantity  of  milk  each  of  them  gave  per  diem, 
and  the  length  of  time  they  would  hold  their  milk  after 
being  again  in  calf.  We  must  avow  to  you,  gentlemen, 
that  they  have  almost  in  every  instance  agreed  with  the 
declarations  of  the  owners  of  the  cows.' "  * 

M.  Magne  tells  us,  that  from  time  immemorial  the 
inhabitants  of  Mont  d'Or,  in  the  Lyonnais,  of  the  com- 

*  The  Cow.     By  M.  M.  Milburn.     London,  1859. 


THE   JERSEY,   ALDERNEY  AND    GUERNSEY  COW.         7/ 

munes  of  St.  Cyr,  St.  Didier,  Conzon,  etc.,  have  consid- 
ered the  tufts  or  fringes  on  the  lateral  parts  of  the  belly 
and  at  the  base  of  the  flank  as  indicatlnof  the  milkinof 
qualities  of  goats.  Guenon  has  founded  a  system  on  a 
similar  basis,  applicable  to  the  cow ;  and  all  animals 
bear  similar  indications  of  aptitude  for  the  secretion  of 
milk. 

It  is  not  very  easy  to  denote  intelligibly  the  whole 
system,  in  order  to  adopt  it  without  further  guide;  this, 
however,  applies  to  all  matters  of  observation,  in  which 
a  single  practical  demonstration  proves  more  instructive 
than  the  perusal  of  a  considerable  volume.  It  has  been 
stated,  in  disparagement  of  Guenon's  system,  that  no 
one  has  attained  his  proficiency  in  selecting  cows  accord- 
ing to  his  method.  We  very  much  doubt  this,  as  we 
have  seen  It  applied  with  the  happiest  success  by  several 
of  Guenon's  countrymen.  All  seem  to  think  his  classi- 
fication too  complicated ;  but  It  may  be  so  for  those 
who  will  not  take  the  trouble  to  study  it  thoroughly.  I 
confess  that  formerly  I  was  Inclined  to  give  weight  to 
this  objection  to  Guenon's  treatise. 

In  Introducing  his  subject,  Guenon  says,  "I  affirm 
without  fear  of  erring  that,  with  an  accurate  knowledge 
of  the  new  characteristic  signs  of  my  method,  the  ani- 
mals which  will  give  most  milk,  and  continue  longest 
yielding  it  when  In  calf,  can  be  chosen  even  a  few  days 
after  their  birth ;  the  quality  of  the  milk,  whether  it  will 
be  rich  or  poor  in  cream  or  butter,  can  also  be  deter* 
mined." 


yS         THE   JERSEY,  ALDERNEY  AND    GUERNSEY  COW. 

The  distinctive  signs  which  Guenon  makes  use  of  are, 
the  htfts  or  epis,  and  scutcheo7is  or  ecttssons;  they  are 
visible  in  all  animals  of  the  bovine  race,  without  excep- 
tion ;  are  situate  over  the  perinseum  and  inner  surface 
of  the  thighs,  and  can  only  be  examined  thoroughly 
during  the  animal's  movements.  These  signs  charac- 
terize the  class  and  families,  which  only  differ  from  each 
other  in  the  variable  form  of  the  scutcheon ;  Guenon, 
moreover,  says  that  the  names  he  has  used  are  purely 
conventional,  having  relation  to  the  form  of  parts  em- 
ployed as  signs,  and  he  has  especially  avoided  Greek 
and  Latin  compounds. 

Ten  forms  of  scutcheons  have  been  described,  and 
constitute  the  basis  of  Guenon's  classification. 

The  surface  of  the  scutcheon  is  distinguished  by  the 
hair  turned  upwards,  and  opposite  in  direction  to  that 


Fig.  I.  Fig.  2.  Fig.  3. 

covering  other  parts  of  the  animal's  skin.  This  hair 
differs  from  all  the  rest  in  color,  and  is  fine,  soft  and 
close. 

The  scutcheon  springs  from  the  middle  of  the  four 
teats,  whence  a  portion  of  its  hair  springs,  and  extends 


THE    JERSEY,   ALDERNEY  AND    GUERNSEY  COW.        Jg 

towards  the  navel,  whereas  the  other  part  rises  towards 
the  inner  and  upper  part  of  the  hocks  to  the  middle  of 


Fig.  4. 


Fig.  5. 


Fig.  6. 


the  posterior  surface  of  the  thighs  ;  then  rising  over  the 
udder  on  the  perinaeum,  it  extends  in  some  classes  to 
the  upper  angle  of  the  vulva,  as  seen  at  figs,  i  to  3. 


Fig.  7. 


Fig.  8. 


Fig.  9. 


The  surface  or  extent  of  the  scutcheon  denotes  the 
milking  capacity,  its  form  and  outline  indicate  the  class, 
the  fineness  of  the  hair  and  the  color  of  the  epidermis 
the  quantity  and  quality  of  the  milk. 

In  examining  scutcheons,  Magne  says : 

"  For  the  most  part,  it  is  very  easy  to  distinguish  the 
scutcheons  by  the  upward  direction  of  the  hair  which 
forms  them.     They  are  even  sometimes  surrounded  by 


80         THE   JERSEY,   ALDERNEY  AND    GUERNSEY  COW, 

a  line  of  bristly  hair,  turned  backwards,  and  formed  by 
the  meeting  of  the  upward  and  the  downward  hair. 

"  Still,  when  the  hair  is  very  fine  and  very  short  and 
mixed  with  long  hairs,  when  the  skin  is  much  folded, 
and  when  the  udder  is  of  large  size  and  pressed  by 
the  thighs,  it  is  necessary,  in  order  to  be  able  to  dis- 
tinguish the  part  enclosed  between  the  udder  and  the 
legs,  and  perceive  the  full  size  of  the  scutcheons,  to 
examine  them  attentively,  to  place  the  limbs  of  the  cow 
apart,  and  even  stretch  the  skin  in  order  to  efface  its 
folds. 

"  The  scutcheons  may  also  be  perceived  by  leaning 
the  back  of  the  hand  against  the  perinaeum,  and  then 
drawino  the  hand  from  above  downwards.  The  nails 
rub  against  the  ascending  hair,  and  give  sensible  indica- 
tion of  the  parts  covered  by  it. 

*'  As  the  hair  of  the  scutcheon  has  not  the  same  direc- 
tion as  the  surrounding  hair,  it  may  sometimes  be  dis- 
tinguished by  a  difference  in  the  shade  reflected  by  it ; 
but  for  the  most  part  it  is  thin  and  fine,  and  allows  the 
color  of  the  skin  to  be  seen.  Were  we  to  trust  only  to 
the  eye,  we  should  often  be  deceived. 

"In  some  countries  dealers  shave  the  buttocks  of 
cows.  Immediately  after  this  operation,  it  becomes  im- 
possible to  discern  the  tufts,  either  by  sight  or  touch ; 
but  the  inconvenience  ceases  after  some  days.  We 
ought  to  add  that  this  shaving,  intended,  as  the  dealers 
say,  to  beautify  the  cow,  is  resorted  to  most  frequently 
for  the  single  purpose  of  destroying  the  scutcheon,  and 


THE   JERSEY,   ALDERNEY  AND    GUERNSEY  COW.       8 1 

depriving  buyers  of  one  method  of  determining  the 
milking  qualities. 

"It  is  superfluous  to  add,  that  the  cows  most  care- 
fully shaven  are  those  which  were  ill  marked  by  the  tuft, 
and  that  it  is  therefore  prudent  to  assume  that  cows 
with  the  perinseum  shaved  are  bad." 

Guenon  says  that  the  importance  of  the  scutcheon  is 
sometimes  diminished,  and  at  others  increased,  by  the 
different  tufts  which  are  usually  met  with,  according  to 
their  form,  nature,  position  and  extent.  With  the  ex- 
ception of  the  oval  ones,  seen  at  fig.  2,  all  tufts  encroach- 
ing on  the  scutcheon  diminish  its  value,  or  in  other 
words  indicate  a  diminished  aptitude  for  yielding  milk. 
Another  tuft  serves  to  distinguish  the  good  from  the 
bastard*  cows.  It  exists  on  either  side  of  the  vulva,  as  in 
figs.  I  and  6,  or  as  on  the  perineum  of  the  Flanders,  fig.  3. 


Fig.  10.  Fig.  II. 

When  the  scutcheon  is  well  formed  and  fine,  the  indi- 
vidual bearing  it  belongs  to  the  first  or  second  order  of 
its  class ;  but  when  the  scutcheon  is  occupied  over  a 
portion  of  its  surface  by  certain  epis  or  tufts,  the  animals 
descend  one  or  more  orders  in  the  classification. 

^  *  Bastard  cows  fail  rapidly  in  their  milk  soon  after  being  impregnated ;   they  are 
decidedly  marked.     See  the  author's  work  "  How  to  Select  Cows." 
11 


82         THE   JERSEY,   ALDERNEY  AND    GUERNSEY  COW. 

If  the  scutcheon  be  wider  about  the  vulva  than  below, 
the  medium  width  throup^h  its  whole  extent  is  estimated, 
and  this  represents  the  value  of  the  scutcheon  and  the 
order  of  the  cow. 

All  variations  in  the  hair  of  the  scutcheons  are  tufts 
which  constitute  irregularity  or  indicate  a  fault  in  the 
interior  which  affects  the  secretions  of  milk.  The  fault 
is  in  relation  to  the  superficial  extent  of  the  tufts.  As 
Magne  says,  '*  the  tufts  being  valuable  in  proportion  to 
the  space  which  they  occupy,  it  is  of  much  importance 
to  attend  to  all  the  rows  of  descending  hairs  which 
lessen  its  size,  whether  these  occur  in  the  middle  of  the 
scutcheon  or  form  Indentations  on  its  edges.  These 
indentations,  partly  concealed  by  the  folds  of  the  skin, 
are  sometimes  perceived  with  difficulty.  It  is  of  much 
importance,  however,  to  take  them  into  account,  for  in 
a  great  number  of  cows  they  greatly  lessen  the  size  of 
the  scutcheon.  We  often  find  cows  which  at  first  sight 
appear  to  have  a  very  large  scutcheon,  and  yet  are  only 
middling,  because  lateral  Indentations  greatly  lessen  the 
part  of  the  skin  covered  with  ascending  hairs.  Many 
blunders  are  committed  in  estimating  the  worth  of 
cows  because  sufficient  attention  is  not  paid  to  the  real 
size  of  the  scutcheon." 

Guenon,  moreover,  says,  "in  general,  when  a  tuft  is 
seen  on  the  scutcheon,  either  on  the  right  or  left  of  the 
thigh,  we  know  that  the  veins  situated  beneath,  on  either 
side  of  the  belly,  have  a  peculiarity;  the  one  on  the  side 
cf  the  tuft  where  the  scutcheon  Is  contracted  Is  small, 


THE   JERSEY,   ALDERNEY  AND    GUERNSEY  COW,        83 

and  there  Is  also  a  small  opening  for  It  where  It  pierces 
the  abdominal  muscles. 


The  tufts  and  scutcheon  are  best  seen  and  appear  to 
open  out  at  the  time  of  calving,  and  become  contracted 
again  shortly  after  the  cow  has  been  delivered.  They 
are  best  seen  also  on  fat  cows. 

Sometimes  there  is  an  Interminorlinof  of  two  forms  of 
scutcheons.  This  depends  on  the  crossing  between  a 
cow  of  one  class  and  a  bull  of  another.  There  are  diffi- 
culties to  encounter,  then,  In  precisely  estimating  the 
value  of  the  animal. 

Before  statinof  the  varieties  of  scutcheons  described 
by  Guenon,  I  must  mention  that  the  tufts,  or  encroach- 
ing patches  of  hair,  which  modify  the  scutcheon,  have 


Fig.  14. 


84         THE   JERSEY,   ALDERNEY  AND    GUERNSEY  COW. 


been  classified.  There  are  two  species — those  on  which 
the  hair  ascends,  and  those  on  which  it  descends.  Those 
with  ascending  hair  are  simply  traces  which  encroach 
on  the  descending  hair  outside  the  scutcheon,  either  on 
one  side  or  beneath  the  vulva.  Those  with  the  de- 
scending hair  are  on  the  scutcheons,  and  are  five  in 
number. 

The  seven  tufts  or  patches  of  hair  which  Guenon  thus 
mentions  are  placed  as  represented  below. 


Fig.  1 6. 

The  names  given  to  them  are  very  peculiar,  and  for 
some  we  must  substitute  another  in  English,  taken  from 
the  position  or  form  of  the  tuft. 

Thus,  I.  Epi  ovale,  oval  tuft;  2.  epi  fessard,\^(^\2.d^\Q. 
tuft ;  3.  epi  babin,  lip-shaped  tufts ;  4.  epi  vulve,  vulvan 
tuft;  5.  epi  batard,  perinseal  tuft;  6.  epi  cuissard^  thigh 
tufts  ;  and  7.  epi  jonctif,  mesian  tuft. 

The  oval  tufts  are  good  signs  if  small,  regular,  and 
covered  with  fine  hair.  They  are  seen  in  all  the  best 
cows,  but  they  are  also  met  with  in  some  of  the  lower 
orders. 

Ischiadic  tufts  of  ascending  hair  are  never  seen  in 


THE   JERSEY,   ALDERNEY  AND    GUERNSEY  COW.         85 

the   first-class    cows,    but    in  all    others    to   a   limited 
extent. 

The  3d,  or  lip-shaped  tuft,  is  only  seen  as  a  sign  of 
deterioration  in  the  two  first  classes  ;  it  is  constituted 
by  descending  hairs,  and  is  an  indication  of  defect,  in  its 
special  class,  so  far  as  milking  qualities  are  concerned. 

The  4th  is  likewise  a  deteriorating  sign. 

The  perinseal  tuft  may  exist  in  cows  otherwise  well 
marked,  but  it  indicates  that  the  animal  will  have  a  great 
diminution  in  the  amount  of  milk  it  yields  so  soon  as  it 
becomes  pregnant. 

The  thigh  tufts  indicate  a  diminution  in  the  yield  of 
milk  proportionate  to  their  extent. 

The  mesian,  or  dart-like  tuft,  with  soft,  silky,  ascending 
hair,  is  rarely  seen,  and  only  in  those  classes  in  which 
the  scutcheon  does  not  ascend  to  the  vulva. 

Regarding  the  varieties  of  scutcheons  as  characterizing 
different  classes  of  cows,  it  is  almost  impossible,  and  I 
think  not  necessary,  to  translate  Guenon's  inappropriate 
names.  The  ten  classes  are  represented  each  by  its 
most  perfect  specimen  in  the  foregoing  wood-cuts.  The 
first  class  has  a  scutcheon,  the  outline  of  which  is  shown 
at  figs.  I,  2,  3.  Cows  thus  marked  have  been  termed, 
by  Guenon,  Flandrines,  simply  because  the  breed  of 
cows  in  Flanders  excels  all  others  for  its  milking  quali- 
ties, and  many  of  that  breed  bear  a  similar  mark.  I 
shall  confine  myself  to  mentioning  the  other  names  of 
classes,  stating  the  numbers  of  the  figures  representing 
them.     Flandrines  a  gauche,  figs.  4,  5,  6.     Lisieres,  fig. 


S6         THE   JERSEY,  ALDERNEY  AND    GUERNSEY  COW. 

7.  Courbes  Lignes,  fig.  8.  Bicornes,  fig.  9.  Double 
LIsieres,  fig.  10.  Poitevines,  fig.  11.  Equerrines,  fig. 
12.     Limousines,  fig.  13.     Carresines,  figs.  14,  15. 

In  conclusion,  I  have  to  repeat  that  I  am  inclined  to 
regard  the  above  names  and  subdivisions  into  classes  as 
to  a  great  extent  superfluous  ;  but  in  giving  a  complete 
series  of  cuts  indicating  the  outlines  of  the  principal 
scutcheons,  it  has  been  my  object  to  do  full  justice  to 
Guenon  and  his  valuable  method  of  determining  the 
milking  qualities  of  cows. 

Dr.  L.  H.  Twaddell,  a  member  of  the  Club,  and 
one  of  the  earliest  breeders  of  Jersey  cattle,  visited  the 
Channel  Islands  in  1865,  and  soon  after  his  return 
made  a  report  to  the  Philadelphia  Society  for  Promoting 
Agriculture,  of  which  the  followinsf  is  an  abstract : 

''  Three  thousand  Jersey  cows  and  heifers,  and  about 
1200  Guernseys,  are  exported  from  the  islands  every 
year. 

"  The  Jersey  cow  is  of  a  medium  size.  Her  peculiar 
deer-like  aspect  distinguishes  her  from  the  Guernsey. 
Her  head  is  lone  and  slender,  the  muzzle  fine,  and 
usually  encircled  with  a  lighter  color ;  the  nose  is  black, 
and  the  large,  dreamy  eyes  encircled  with  a  black  band ; 
occasionally  the  nose  is  of  a  buff  color,  when  there  is  a 
corresponding  buff  band  around  the  eye  ;  the  horns  are 
usually  short,  small  at  the  base,  tapering,  and  tipped 
with  black. 

"  This  latter  is  one  of  the  requirements  of  the  '  Jersey 


THE    JERSEY,   ALDERNEY  AND    GUERNSEY  COW.        87 

scale  of  points,'  and  when,  as  occasionally  happens,  an 
animal  deviates  from  the  standard,  being  what  is  termed 
*  wild-horned,'  the  Jerseyman  has  an  appliance  consist- 
ing of  a  strong  wire  clamp,  with  an  arrangement  of 
screws,  which  he  affixes  to  the  horns  of  the  growing 
beast,  and,  by  dint  of  filing  and  screwing  up,  eventually 
gives  them  the  orthodox  bend. 

"The  limbs  of  the  Jersey  are  very  slender  and  fine, 
her  hips  broad  and  developed,  her  neck  is  slender  and 
rather  long,  and  the  body  in  the  best  specimens  rotund, 
and  approximating  to  the  short-horn  model  somewhat, 
yet  with  sufficient  angularity  to  ensure  milking  propen- 
sities. 

"  The  abdomen  is  well  developed,  giving  evidence  of 
sound  nutrition  ;  the  external  abdominal  or  milk  veins 
convoluted  and  prominent ;  the  udder  broad,  running 
well  forward  and  well  up  behind ;  teats  squarely 
placed,  rather  short  than  otherwise,  and  of  a  fine  yellow 
tint. 

''  The  Jerseys  are  of  all  shades  of  color,  from  a  pale 
vellow  fawn,  running  throuo^h  all  the  intermediate  hues, 
even  occasionally  to  a  red,  an  intermixture  of  black  or 
gray,  known  as  French  gray,  and  that  merging  into 
black  with  an  amber-colored  band  along  the  back,  the 
muzzle  invariably  shaded  with  a  lighter  color ;  and  indi- 
viduals are  often  seen  black  and  white,  or  pure  black, 
unrelieved  by  any  other  color. 

"  A  yellow  brindle  is  sometimes  seen,  but  this  is  by  no 
means  a  favorite. 


88         THE   JERSEY,   ALDERNEY  AND    GUERNSEY  COW. 

"  The  darker  colors  are  the  most  popular  in  England, 
from  the  belief  that  they  are  hardier  in  constitution  and 
bear  the  climate  better,  but  this  opinion  does  not  accord 
with  our  experience  in  America,  where  the  alternations 
from  heat  to  cold  are  much  more  decided  and  severe. 
Here  I  think  I  may  say  with  safety  that  no  difference 
has  been  observed  in  constitution  or  ability  to  endure 
our  burning  summer  heats  or  the  cold  of  our  Northern 
winters. 

"  The  care  of  cows  and  dairy  devolves  entirely  on  the 
female  members  of  the  family,  v/hilst  the  farmer  attends 
to  his  growing  crops,  or  busies  himself  in  the  other 
duties  of  his  little  farm. 

"The  cows  are  tethered  with  a  rope  passing  around 
the  base  of  the  horns,  with  a  chain  and  swivel  attached, 
and  are  fastened  to  pegs  driven  in  the  ground ;  they 
are  moved  to  fresh  grass  two  or  three  times  daily. 
Should  they  be  pastured  in  the  orchards,  an  additional 
rope  passes  from  the  halter  to  each  foreleg,  and,  thus 
tied  down,  they  are  prevented  from  regaling  themselves 
with  the  tempting  apples  which  load  the  low-hanging 
boughs  under  w^hich  they  graze. 

*'  The  method  of  milking  cows  is  somewhat  peculiar, 
the  milkinor  and  straining  the  milk  beine  done  at  one 

o  o  o 

operation  ;  the  milkmaid,  with  her  tin  pail,  linen  strainer, 
and  sea-shell,  proceeds  to  the  pasture ;  seating  herself 
beside  her  cow,  she  soon  completes  her  arrangements ; 
the  linen  strainer  is  securely  tied  over  the  narrow- 
mouthed  tin  bucket,  and,  placing  the  large  shallow  sea- 


fcrif^l'frf'* 


THE   JERSEY,   ALDERNEY  AND    GUERNSEY  COW.         89 

shell  on  the  strainer,  with  vigorous  hands  she  directs 
the  milky  streams  into  the  shell ;  quickly  overflowing 
the  shallow  brim,  the  milk  passes  through  the  strainer 
into  the  receptacle  beneath.  This  primitive  method  has 
been  in  vogue  for  more  than  a  century ;  they  claim  for 
it  the  merit  of  perfect  cleanliness. 

"  Whilst  overlooking  the  operation,  I  could  under- 
stand the  use  of  the  strainer  clearly  enough,  but  the 
employment  of  the  shell  rather  puzzled  me,  until  the 
milkmaid  informed  me  that  it  was  to  prevent  the 
attrition  of  the  streams  of  milk  from  wearinof  a  hole  in 
the  strainer;  this  solved  the  mystery. 

"The  calves  are  kept  stabled  during  the  first  year, 
and  fed  on  green  food  during  the  summer ;  in  the  second 
year  they  are  tethered  out. 

"The  heifers  are  allowed  to  have  calves  at  about 
two  years  old,  and  come  in  profit  in  April  or  May, 
when  there  is  more  demand  for  them  in  the  English 
market. 

"  The  bulls  are  kept  stabled  all  the  year ;  in  a  large 
number  that  I  saw  not  one  was  ringed,  and  I  understood 
that  it  was  never  done  in  the  islands ;  not  one  of  those 
I  examined  was  in  any  way  vicious.  M.  Le  Gallais  (the 
owner  of  the  prize  bull,  of  Jersey,  for  1865),  an  excellent 
judge,  told  me  that  in  his  opinion  it  was  due  to  their 
being  constantly  tied  up  and  daily  handled. 

"  The  bulls  are  slaughtered  at  three  years  old ;  the 
opinion  prevails  there  that  the  offspring  of  young  bulls 
have  most  vig^or  and  stamina. 

12 


90         THE   JERSEY,  ALDERNEY  AND    GUERNSEY  COW. 

"In  the  year  1849,  the  Royal  Jersey  Agricultural 
Society  established  a  scale  of  points  for  Jersey  cattle  as 
a  guide  to  the  judges  in  awarding  the  premiums. 
Thirty-six  points  established  perfection.  No  prize  can 
be  awarded  to  a  cow  having  less  than  29  points,  nor  can 
one  be  awarded  to  a  heifer  having  less  than  26  points. 
A  cow  having  27  points,  and  a  heifer  24  points,  without 
a  pedigree,  are  allowed  to  be  branded,  but  cannot  win 
a  prize. 

"  The  term  '  pedigree '  is  employed  to  signify  the  off- 
spring of  a  prize,  or  decorated  male  or  female.  The 
*  brand'  is  burned  on  the  horn,  and  are  the  letters  J.  A. 
S.  (Jersey  Agricultural  Society). 

"  Besides  the  Royal  Jersey  Society,  each  parish  has  a 
stock-breeders'  club ;  the  clubs  hold  their  parish  shows 
the  month  preceding  the  Royal  Jersey ;  they  decorate 
their  prize  winners  in  the  same  manner  by  branding 
with  the  initial  letters  of  the  parish  and  club,  as,  for 
instance,  St.  Saviour's  Club,  '  St.  S.  C 

"  A  choice  cow  is  sometimes  seen  whose  horns  are 
literally  covered  with  brands,  perhaps  winning  parish 
and  Royal  Jersey  prizes  two  or  three  years  in  succes- 
sion. 

"  Many  breeders  will  not  allow  their  animals  branded 
on  account  of  the  disfigurement  it  produces. 

"The  Guernsey  is  a  larger  animal,  coarser  in  the 
head  and  heavier  in  bone ;  the  horns  are  longer  and 
thicker  at  the  base,  not  usually  crumpled ;  the  rump  is 
more  apt  to  assume  that  peculiar  droop  which  seems  a 


THE   JERSEY,   ALDERNEY  AND    GUERNSEY  COW.        9 1 

characteristic  of  the  breed,  and  there  is  a  want  of  that 
symmetry  and  neatness  of  form  that  mark  the  highly 
bred  Jersey,  but  as  a  dairy  cow  she  is  fully  her  equal ; 
for  quality  of  milk  and  butter  she  cannot  be  excelled ; 
the  skin  is  of  a  splendid  rich,  yellow  hue,  and  the  udder 
and  teats  are  tinted  with  chrome. 

"The  head  of  the  Guernsey  is  larger,  and  the  muzzle 
broader,  and  the  eye  not  so  prominent  as  the  Jersey ; 
the  nose  is  usually  of  a  rick  yellow  or  buff;  the  eye 
banded  with  the  same  color. 

"The  colors  of  the  Guernsey  are  fawn,  running 
through  the  various  shades  to  a  deep  red,  an  umber 
brown,  and  a  peculiar  yellow  brindle,  which  is  a  favorite 
here. 

"  Although  larger  than  the  Jersey,  I  do  not  think  they 
fatten  quite  as  kindly  as  the  latter,  which  has  the 
advantage  of  a  smoother  and  more  rotund  form. 

"This  thinness  and  want  of  condition  may  be  owing 
In  a  great  degree  to  the  fact  that  the  pasturage  is  less 
luxuriant  in  Guernsey,  and  also  that  the  Guernseymen 
are  less  solicitous  about  the  figure  and  style  of  their 
animals,  being  satisfied  if  the  animal  is  a  performer  at 
the  pail,  where  she  seldom  disappoints, 

"  The  cattle  of  the  Island  of  Alderney  (which  is  the 
third  in  size  of  the  Channel  group)  have  a  want  of  uni- 
formity, attributable  to  the  fact  that  they  are  the  off- 
spring of  stock  brought  from  Jersey  and  Guernsey, 
crossed  and  recrossed  until  all  individuality  as  a  breed 
is  lost. 


92  THE   JERSEY,   ALDERNEY  AND    GUERNSEY  COW. 

"  Some  are  neat  and  deer-like  ;  odiers  are  larger  and 
heavier,  approaching  die  Guernsey  type. 

"The  island  being  small  and  rocky,  the  pasturage 
scanty,  very  few  cattle  are  bred,  and,  as  a  consequence, 
the  breed  does  not  receive  the  care  and  attention  that 
is  given  on  the  other  islands. 

"  It  is  as  a  dairy  animal  that  the  Channel  Islands  cow 
puts  forth  her  claim  for  consideration. 

''  Cominof  into  notice  after  several  of  the  leading 
British  breeds  had  acquired  a  world-wide  celebrity,  her 
advocates  had  to  contend  with  the  prejudice  of  English 
stock-growers  and  dairymen,  who  could  not  be  made  to 
believe  that  anything  not  English  bred  could  have 
merit.  And  forsooth,  this  stock,  French  bred,  with  true 
John  Bull  antipathy,  they  at  once  decided  must  be 
worthless.  But  latterly  this  feeling  towards  their 
French  neighbors  has  been  wonderfully  modified,  and 
as  the  entente  cordiale  is  now  firmly  established,  Anglo- 
Norman  cattle,  among  many  other  products  from  across 
the  Channel,  have  found  favor  in  England.  The  Eng- 
lish dairymen  have  been  induced  to  try  them,  and  find- 
ing they  produced  more  and  better  butter  than  the 
much-vaunted  English  breeds,  have  looked  at  the  pound 
sterling  side  of  the  account,  and,  per  consequence,  have 
substituted  the  despised  little  Channel  Islander  for  the 
queenly  Short-Horn." 

We  will  close  this  chapter  by  giving  the  views  of  one 
of '  our  best  American  breeders  of  the  Jerseys,  Mr. 
Charles  L.  Sharpless,  of  Philadelphia,  on  the  Mirrors  of 


THE    JERSEY,   ALDERNEY  AND    GUERNSEY  COW.        93 

Cows.     It  is  a  clear,   condensed,  practical  resume  of 
Guenon's  rules,  with  valuable  additions. 

ESCUTCHEONS    OF    COWS. 

There  is  no  point  in  judging  a  cow  so  little  understood 
as  the  mirror  or  escutcheon.  The  conclusion  of  almost 
every  one  is,  that  her  mirror  is  good  if  there  be  a  broad 
band  of  uprunning  hair  from  the  udder  to  the  vulva  and 
around  it — see  fig.  17.  These  cows  with  the  broad 
vertical  mirror  are  nearly  always  parallel  cows ;  that  is, 
with  bodies  long  but  not  large,  and  with  the  under  line 
parallel  with  the  back.  Their  thighs  are  thin,  and  the 
thieh  mirror  shows  on  the  inside  of  the  thicrh  rather 
than  on  its  rear. 

Next  comes  the  wedge-shaped  cow,  with  the  body 
shorter,  but  very  large,  deep  in  the  flank,  and  very 
capacious.  This  form  does  not  usually  exhibit  the 
broad  vertical  mirror,  running  up  to  the  vulva,  but  with 
a  broader  thigh  may  exhibit  a  thigh  mirror,  which  is 
preferable  to  the  other,  thus — see  fig.  18. 

To  those  not  familiar  with  the  meaninof  of  mirror  or 
escutcheon,  it  may  be  well  to  say,  that  the  uprunning 
hair  in  the  rear  of  a  cow,  on  and  between  the  thighs, 
represents  the  mirror.  This  uprunning  can  be  easily 
seen  or  felt,  being  in  marked  contrast  with  the  down- 
running  or  body  hair  ;  the  mirror  terminates  at  the  out- 
side of  the  thigh  in  a  curl  or  cowlick.  In  some  cases 
there  is  another  curl,  about  three  inches  below  the 
upper  one. 


94         THE   JERSEY,  ALDERNEY  AND    GUERNSEY  COW. 

In  both  vertical  and  thigh  mirrors,  where  the  hair 
runs  down,  intruding  on  the  udder,  as  in  figs.  19  and  20, 
it  damages  the  mirror.     If  you  find  a  cow  with  the  hair 


Fig.  19 


all  running  down  and  between  the  thighs — that  is,  with 
no  uprunning  hair — stamp  her  as  a  cipher  for  milk- 
yielding!  The  udders  to  figs.  17,  18,  19  and  20  are 
made  by  the  artist  the  same  size,  while  in  reality  they 


THE   JERSEY,   ALDERNEY  AND    GUERNSEY  COW.         95 

will  vary  according  to  the  mirror.  There  are  times 
when  the  udder  of  a  cow  mirrored  like  fig.  20  will  be 
enlarged  by  non-mllking,  for  the  purpose  of  deception. 
It  is  always  safer  to  judge  by  the  mirror  rather  than  by 
the  large  size  of  the  udder. 

The  mirrors  of  the  best  cows — those  yielding  the 
most  and  continuing  the  longest — will  be  found  to  be 
those  which  conform  to  fig.  18. 

The  vertical  mirror  of  fig.  1 7  would  not  injure  it ;  but 
if  that  ornamental  feature  has  to  be  at  the  expense  of 
the  thigh  mirror,  fig.  18  Is  better  as  It  is. 

Whenever  a  good  mirror  Is  accompanied  by  a  curl 
on  each  hind  quarter  of  the  udder,  it  indicates  a  yield 
of  the  hlofhest  order. 

These  remarks  apply  with  equal  force  to  heifers  and 
bulls,  except  that  the  vertical  mirror  with  bulls  never 
extends  so  high.  In  heifers  and  young  bulls  the  mirror 
is  distinctly  seen  at  any  time  after  one  month  old,  and 
is  precisely  the  same  that  it  will  be  when  the  animal  is 
mature. 

So  far  we  have  noticed  only  the  rear  mirror,  or  that 
which  represents  the  two  hind-quarters  of  the  udder. 
The  two  front-quarters  are  just  as  important,  and  should 
be  capacious,  and  run  well  forward  under  the  body 
(see  A).  If  the  udder  in  front  be  concave,  or  cut  up,  as 
in  B,  Indicating  small  capacity,  it  represents  reduced 
yield.  This  front  or  level  mirror  Is  distinctly  marked 
in  the  young  heifer  or  bull,  and  can  be  seen  by  laying 
the  animal  on  its  back.    The  udder  hair  under  the  body 


g6         THE   JERSEY,   ALDERNEY  AND    GUERNSEY  COW. 

all  runs  backward,  commencing  at  the  forward  line  of 
the  mirror  (see    dotted  lines  In  figs.  21,  22    and  23). 


This  dividing  line  Is  very  perceptible,  from  the  fact  that 
the  hair  In  front  of  It  all  runs  forward  towards  the  head 
of  the  animal,  while  the  mirror  or  udder  hair  all  runs 
backward    over   the   forward   quarters   of  the    udder, 


12  m. 


Fig.  21.  / 


LOTTIE  STARR, 
10  mos.  old. 


»  / 


V        J> 


<>. 


^^' 


O       4m.      o 

2  in. 

O  ^>^^"-  c 

around  and  beyond  the  teats,  and  ceases  at  the  mark- 
ings of  the  rear  mirror,  on  and  between  the  thighs. 


THE    JERSEY,   ALDERNEY  AND    GUERNSEY  COW.        9/ 

The  breadth  and  extent  forward  of  this  front  mirror 
indicates  the  capacity,  in  the  mature  animal,  of  the  front 
quarters  of  her  udder.  In  some  cases  this  front  mirror 
will  be  found  of  twice  the  extent  that  it  is  in  others,  and 

.'-—->,  Fig.  22.  ^, ^ 


•^j 


-e 


SYLVA, 
lo  mos.  old. 


O  4  in.  O 

2  in. 


•^ 

V 


is  evidence  of  that  much  more  yield.  The  dimensions 
on  figs.  21,  2  2  and  23  are  actual  measurements — the 
first  two  of  heifers  and  the  last  of  a  bull.  If  fig.  22  rep- 
resents four  quarts  as  the  yield  per  day  of  the  front 


.''''       "~~  ~~--, 

Fig.  23. 

*•'''                                   *% 

/ 

\ 

0 

5  in. 

0 

2  in. 

COLUMBUSr 

3  in. 

,0 

10  mos.  old.        > 

Scrotum 

^ 

quarters,  fig.  21  will  represent  eight.  Thus,  if  the  rear 
yield  is  the  same,  say  four  quarts  in  each  cow,  the  total 
yield  of  fig.  21  will  be  twelve  quarts,  while  that  of  fig.  22 

13 


98         THE    JERSEY,   ALDERNEY  AND    GUERNSEY  COW. 

is  but  eight.  This  examination  enables  one  to  see  the 
size  of  the  teats  and  their  distance  apart,  and  to  test 
the  looseness  and  softness  of  the  udder  skin.  It  Is 
marked  precisely  the  same  in  bulls  (see  fig.  23),  and 
can  be  easily  examined  at  any  age  between  one  and  ten 
months. 

Udders  of  all  shapes  hold  milk,  and  some  homely 
ones  hold  a  large  quantity.  B,  C,  D  and  E,  at  a  glance, 
explain  their  deficiencies,  both  of  shape,  lack  of  capacity 
and  bad  style  of  teats.  In  udder  A  we  have  the  perfect 
shape. 

Besides  the  front  extension  of  the  udder  in  the  cow, 
the  vein  called  milk-vein,  runninof  forward  on  the  under- 
oide  of  the  body,  should  be  large  and  irregular,  and  If 
forked  at  the  forward  end,  with  two  holes  of  exit  from 
the  body,  so  much  the  more  evidence  of  the  large 
milker.  If  there  be  three  holes  of  exit,  it  means  the 
largest  yield. 

Many  think  that  the  mirror  of  the  bull  is  of  but  little 
t7\oment,  so  that  he  Is  a  good-looker.  So  far  is  this 
rrom  being  the  case,  that  a  bull  with  a  mirror  like  fig.  20 
or  worse  will  stamp  his  mirrors  on  and  to  that  extent 
damage  his  daughters,  out  of  cows  with  mirrors  as 
choice  as  fig.  iZ.  In  this  way,  the  daughters  of  some 
of  the  best  cows  come  very  ordinary,  while,  if  you  use  a 
bull  marked  like  fig.  18,  he  will  make  poor  mirrors  bet- 
ter, and  will  improve  the  best.  His  injury  or  benefit 
will  be  doubled  according  to  .the  mirror  markings  under 
his  body  In  front  of  )ils  scrotum.     Hence  the  Import- 


THE    JERSEY,   ALDERNEY  AND    GUERNSEY  COW.       99 

ance  of  the  dam  of  a  bull  being  unexceptionable  in  her 
udder  and  mirror.  Her  qualities  inherited  by  her  son 
will  be  transmitted  to  his  dauorhters. 

While  careful  as  to  mirrors  we  must  not  neglect  the 
other  essential  features  of  a  good  cow,  the  buckskin 
hide,  the  rich-colored  skin,  and  the  fine  bone.  Let  the 
hair  be  soft  and  thickly  set,  and  let  the  skin  be  mellow. 
This  latter  quality  is  easily  determined  by  grasping  be- 
tween the  thumb  and  forefinorer  the  skin  at  the  rear  of 
the  ribs,  or  the  double  thickness  at  the  base  of  the  flank 
that  joins  the  stifle  joint  to  the  body,  or  that  on  the 
inside  of  the  rump  bone  at  the  setting-on  of  the  tail. 
Let  the  teats  be  well  apart ;  let  them  yield  a  full  and 
free  stream,  and  be  large  enough  to  fill  the  hand  with- 
out the  necessity  in  milking  of  pulling  them  between  the 
thumb  and  forefingers.  And  let  us  ever  keep  in  mind 
that  the  large  yielder  must  be  well  fed.  In  this  connec- 
tion, though  foreign  to  our  subject,  it  seems  a  fit  time  to 
speak  of  field  arrangements  for  milking.  In  our  own 
fields  we  have  sheds  for  shelter,  and  in  one  of  them, 
which  is  in  a  central  position,  cheap  stanchions  are 
arranged  so  that  each  cow  at  milking  time  is  fed  a  quart 
or  more,  according  to  yield,  of  good  bran.  Some  object 
to  this,  on  the  score  of  economy,  and  others  are  loth  to 
acknowledge  their  cows  having  anything  but  grass. 
This  is  the  first  season  we  have  ever  fed  while  the  cows 
are  on  grass,  and  their  condition  and  yield  has  con- 
vinced us  of  the  wisdom  of  the  practice.  It  helps  to 
sustain  the  system  of  a  large  yielder,  drained  by  the 


lOO      THE    JERSEY,   ALDERNEY  AND    GUERNSEY  COW. 

flow  of  milk,  and  needing  extra  sustenance  for  the 
growth  of  the  unborn  calf.  It  saves  all  necessity  for 
driving  the  cows ;  it  keeps  them  quiet  while  being 
milked  ;  it  saves  the  time  and  temper  of  the  milkers. 
So  well  do  they  know  it,  that  a  call  will  bring  them  at 
feeding  time  from  any  distance.  In  the  stanchions  they 
quietly  remain  until  milked,  thus  saving  the  trouble  and 
annoyance  of  milking  in  flytime  an  unfastened  cow. 


RATIO  SCALE  OF  POINTS  FOR  BULLS. 

Adopted  by  the  Jersey  Herd  Book. 
Article.  Points. 

1.  Registered  pedigree 5 

2.  Head  fine  and  tapering;  forehead  broad 5 

3.  Cheek  small 2 

4.  Throat  clean 4 

5.  Muzzle  dark,  encircled  by  light  color,  with  nostrils  high  and  open 4 

6.  Horns  small,  not  thick  at  base,  crumpled,  yellow,  tipped  with  black 5 

7.  Ears  small  and  thin,  and  of  a  deep  orange  color  within 5 

8.  Eyes  full  and  lively 4 

9.  Neck  arched,  powerful,  but  not  coarse  and  heavy 5 

10.  Withers  fine;  shoulders  flat  and  sloping ;  chest  broad  and  deep 4 

11.  Barrel  hooped,  broad,  deep,  and  well  ribbed  up 5 

12.  Back  straight  from  the  withers  to  the  setting-on  of  the  tail 5 

13.  Back  broad  across  the  loins 3 

14.  Hips  wide  apart  and  fine  in  the  bone 3 

15.  Rump  long,  broad,  and  level 3 

16.  Tail  fine,  reaching   the    hocks,  and   hanging  a*t  right   angles  with   the 

back 3 

17.  Hide  thin  and  mellow,  covered  with  fine  soft  hair 4 

18.  Hide  of  a  yellow  color 4 

19.  Legs  short,  straight  and  fine,  with  small  hoofs 4 

20.  Arms  full  and  swelling  above  the  knees 3 

21.  Hind-quarters  from  the  hock  to  point  of  rump  long,  wide  apart,  and  well 

filled  up 3 

22.  Hind-legs  squarely  placed  when  viewed   from  behind,  and  not  to  cross 

or  sweep  in  walking 3 


THE    JERSEY,  ALDERNEY  AND  GUERNSEY  COW.       lOI 

Article.  Points. 

23.  Nipples  to  be  squarely  placed  and  wide  apart 5 

24.  Growth 4 

25.  General  appearance 5 

Perfection 100 

No  prize  to  be  awarded  to  bulls  having  less  than  80  points.  ' 

Bulls  having  obtained  75  points  shall  be  allowed  to  be  branded. 


RATIO  SCALE  OF  POINTS  FOR  COWS  AND  HEIFERS. 

Adopted  by  the  Je7-sey  Herd  Book,  i8y_S. 
Article.  Points. 

1.  Registered  pedigree 5 

2.  Head  small,  fine  and  tapering 3 

3.  Cheek  small;  throat  clean 4 

4.  Muzzle  dark  and  encircled  by  a  light  color,  with  nostrils  high  and  open..  4 

5.  Horns  small,  not  thick  at  the  base,  crumpled,  yellow,  tipped  with  black..  5 

6.  Ears  small  and  thin,  and  of  a  deep  orange  color  within 5 

7.  Eye  full  and  placid 3 

8.  Neck  straight,  fine,  and  lightly  placed  on  the  shoulders 3 

9.  Withers  fine;  shoulders  flat  and  sloping;  chest  broad  and  deep 4 

10.  Barrel  hooped,  broad  and  deep,  being  well  ribbed  up 5 

11.  Back  straight  from  the  withers  to  the  setting-on  of  the  tail 5 

12.  Back  broad  across  the  loins - 3 

13.  Hips  wide  apart  and  fine  in  the  bone;  rump  long,  broad  and  level 5 

14.  Tail  fine,  reaching  the  hocks,  and  hanging  at  right  angles  with  the  back.  3 

15.  Hide  thin  and  mellow,  covered  with  fine  soft  hair 4 

16.  Hide  of  a  yellow  color 4 

17.  Legs  short,  straight  and  fine,  with  small  hoofs 3 

18.  Arms  fifll  and  swelling  above  the  knees 3 

19.  Hind  quarters  from    the  hock  to  point  of  rump  long,  wide  apart,  and 

well  filled  up 3 

20.  Hind  legs  squarely  placed  when  viewed  from  behind,  and  not  to  cross 

or  sweep  in  walking 3 

21.  Udder  large,  not  fleshy,  running  well  forward,  in  line  with  the  belly,  and 

well  up  behind .^ 5 

22.  Teats  moderately  large,  yellow,  of  equal  size,  wide  apart,  and  squarely 

placed 5 

22-  Milk  veins  about  the  udder  and  abdomen  prominent 4 

24.  Growth 4 

25.  General  appearance 5 

Perfection 100 

No  prize  shall  be  awarded  to  cows  having  less  than  80  points. 
No  prize  shall  be  awarded  to  heifers  having  less  than  71  points. 


I02       THE   JERSEY,  ALDERNEY  AND  GUERNSEY  COW. 

The  scale  of  the  Jersey  Society  was  formerly  con- 
structed on  the  basis  of  orivincr  one  mark  to  each  of 

o  o 

31  points  on  bulls  and  heifers,  and  34  points  on  cows, 
so  that  each  point,  if  sufficiently  perfect,  received  its 
mark,  and  if  not,  was  dropped  altogether.  This  was 
altered  afterward  by  increasing  the  number  of  points 
on  both  bulls  and  cows  to  100,  and  giving  the  greatest 
number  of  points  to  the  most  important  parts  of  the 
animal;  thus,  in  cows,  14  points  are  given  to  the  udder, 
teats,  and  milk-veins,  whereas  by  the  former  scale  but 
one  point  each,  or  three  points  in  all  were  allotted;  and 
while  the  cow  miofht  be  fairlv  eood  in  each  of  those 
points  yet  she  might  be  cut  off  of  them  entirely,  and 
thus  lose  3  points  in  a  scale  of  31  ;  whereas  by  the 
new  scale  she  may  be  allotted  two  or  more  points  to 
each  and  thus  show  her  true  value.  It  is  also  the  same 
in  the  scale  of  the  American  Jersey  Cattle  Club  Herd 
Register ;  though  the  allotment  of  points  is  different 
and  better  in  the  American  scale. 

The  intelligent  and  impartial,  use  of  this  scale  cannot 
fail  to  raise  the  standard  of  our  exhibition  cattle,  by 
requiring  them  to  be  well  formed  In  every  essential 
part  in  order  to  obtain  the  highest  prizes.  Defects  of 
form  are  often  covered  up  by  superfluous  flesh,  whereby 
the  unskilled  eye  is  Imposed  upon,  and  the  estimate  of 
the  crowd  Is  rendered  incorrect.  It  is  the  duty  of  judges 
to  probe  this  excess  of  fat,  and  find  the  true  points  of 
the  animal,  and  breeders  will  be  obliged  to  conform. 
American  Jerseys  will   be  kept   pure  in  their  charac- 


THE    JR  RSEY,  AL  DERNE  Y  A  ND  G  UERNSE  Y  COW.        I O  3 

terlstlcs,  and  not  be  perverted  into  poor  imitations  of 
Durhams. 

The  Jersey  scale  was  formed  before  the  promulga- 
tion of  the  remarkable  theory  of  Guenon  respecting  the 
milk-mirror  or  escutcheon  as  a  visible  sign  of  dairy 
qualities.  But  this  method  of  judging  of  dairy  stock  is 
nov/  so  favorably  received  by  intelligent  breeders,  that 
it  should  be  taken  into  consideration  by  the  judges 
awarding  premiums  at  our  agricultural  fairs.  If  a 
breeder,  in  purchasing  an  animal  for  the  dairy,  looks  for 
this  sign  of  quality,  why  should  he  not  recognize  it  in 
making  up  his  judgment  of  animals  exhibited  for  pre- 
miums ?  Experience  proves  that  a  perfect  escutcheon 
can  be  perpetuated  from  generation  to  generation  as 
certainly  as  can  any  other  outward  marks  of  milking 
capacity.  If  a  cow  or  bull  has  a  defective  escutcheon, 
according  to  the  rules  of  Guenon  and  as  developed  by 
Mr.  Sharpless,  how  can  the  first  prize  for  breeding  or 
dairying  qualities  be  consistently  awarded,  even  if  all 
the  other  points  are  good  ? 


CHAPTER    III. 

THE  ART  OF  FEEDING. 

It  must  be  apparent  to  every  thinking  person  that  all 
the  before-mentioned  qualities,  even  in  the  highest  per- 
fection, will  not  ensure  an  abundant  and  rich  supply  of 
milk  unless  proper  care  is  taken  to  furnish  the  cow 
with  the  kind  of  food  best  calculated  to  the  required 
purpose.  How  often  is  it  found  that  complaint  is  made 
by  one  person  that  such  a  cow  Is  a  bad  milker,  when 
the  same  animal,  transferred  to  other  hands,  has  given 
every  satisfaction  !  This  Is  easily  explained  by  the  fact 
that  In  the  first  case  the  cow  has  been  kept  on  foul 
pasture  or  on  improper  food.  It  becomes,  therefore, 
peculiarly  necessary  to  set  forth  the  manner  of  feeding 
which  experience  has  proved  to  be  the  most  advantage- 
ous for  the  production  of  rich  and  sweet  milk. 

The  first  requisite  in  feeding  is,  that  the  animal  should 
have  abundance  of  food,  so  as  to  be  able  to  consume 
all  that  she  requires  In  as  short  a  time  as  possible,  as 
then  she  will  lie  down  and  have  the  more  time  to  secrete 
her  milk,  and  that  milk  to  acquire  richness.  The  pas- 
ture should  be  often  changed,  and  If  not  In  pasture  the 
food  should  be  succulent,  otherwise  fat  Instead  of  milk 

will  be  produced ;  but  cows  fed  with  food  of  too  watery 
104 


THE   JERSEY,   ALDERNEY  AND    GUERNSEY  COW.      IO5 

a  nature,  which  is  the  case  with  roots  early  in  the  sea- 
son, require  an  addition  of  more  soHd  food,  such  as 
meal  or  i^^ood  clover  chaff,  otherwise  the  milk,  although 
considerable  in  quanuty,  will  be  poor  and  wheyey,  yield- 
ing no  cream.  Such  roots  should  be  carefully  selected 
as  have  no  symptoms  of  decay  or  rottenness,  and  should 
be  mild  in  flavor  or  the  butter  will  be  tainted.  In  very 
cold  weather,  and  as  a  change  of  food,  use  crushed  lin- 
seed and  bruised  oats,  steamed  or  boiled. 

Mangel-wurzel,  which  has  become,  from  its  luscious 
qualities,  so  favorite  a  food  for  the  dairy  cow,  requires 
much  care  and  judgment  in  its  use,  and  should  never 
be  given  before  the  month  of  January,  as  the  longer  it 
is  kept  the  less  acidity  is  produced  by  it ;  and  even  then, 
in  my  opinion,  should  always  be  accompanied  by  from 
four  to  six  pounds  of  barley  meal  or  corn  meal  to  every 
bushel,  to  correct  the  irritation  occasioned  by  its  sole 
use,  many  dairies  of  good  cows  having,  within  my  own 
knowledge,  been  weakened  so  as  to  cause  disease  and 
barrenness  for  want  of  the  adoption  of  this  principle. 
The  best — and,  in  fact,  the  only  roots  that  should  be 
given — are  carrots,  the  yellow  bullock  turnip  and  man- 
gel, succeeding  each  other  from  the  time  they  are  re- 
quired till  the  cow  returns  to  pasture.  Grains  and 
mangel-wurzel  are  only  to  be  used  when  a  large  quan- 
tity of  milk,  in  which  quality  is  not  sought,  is  desired. 
Many  cowkeepers  in  London  feed  with  these  for  that 
purpose,  and  are,  in  consequence,  though  selling  a 
genuine  article,  wrongly  accused  of  diluting   the  milk. 


14 


I06    THE   JERSEY,   ALDERNEY  AND    GUERNSEY  COW. 

It  must  be  obvious,  therefore,  that  such  food  Is  useless 
for  the  purpose  of  producing  cream  and  butter.  I  con- 
sider grains  utterly  inadmissible  for  the  dairy  cow,  and 
mangel  only  to  be  used  In  the  manner  before  stated  as 
a  change  of  diet. 

The  cow  and  the  horse  can  well  pasture  together, 
but  no  other  animal  should  be  allowed  to  run  In  the 
same  field,  pigs  and  poultry  spoiling  and  tainting  the 
feed.  All  rank  weeds  must  be  carefully  eradicated,  and 
garden  refuse  kept  out  of  the  cow's  reach,  especially 
shrubs,  yew-hedge  cuttings,  etc.,  these  things  being 
often  poisonous,  and  occasioning  the  cow  to  slip  her 
calf.  The  same  remark  will  apply  to  dead  and  putrid 
matter. 

Let  the  pasture  be  free  from  ponds  or  other  dirty 
drinklng-places,  where  the  water  Is  fouled  and  rendered 
unwholesome  by  decayed  matter  or  the  drainage  from 
dung-heaps,  and  by  the  habit  which  cattle  have  of  stand- 
ing and  manurlnor  In  it  for  hours  tocrether.  A  clean  tub 
or  tank  should  be  used  for  watering  the  cattle,  and  kept 
supplied  with  pure,  sweet  water,  which.  If  pumped  from 
a  well,  should  be  exposed  to  the  air  a  considerable  time 
before  use. 

Cows  should  be  taken  In  about  sunset,  or  before  they 
are  preparing  to  rest  for  the  night,  and  on  no  account 
allow  them  to  be  hurried  to  or  from  pasture,  especially 
when  full  of  milk. 

Cows  should  always  in  winter  be  well  fed,  regularly 
fed,  and  sufficient  food  of  the  right  kind.     Twice  a  day 


THE   JERSEY,   AI.DERAEY  AND    GUERNSEY  COW.       10/ 

as  much  as  they  will  eat  of  good  timothy  and  clover  hay 
mixed,  with  two  quarts  of  Indian  meal  unbolted,  four 
quarts  of  wheat  bran,  and  half  a  peck  or  a  peck  of  car- 
rots or  sugar-beets  to  each.  Turnips  may  be  fed  to  dry 
cows,  but  to  milking  cows  they  give  a  taste  to  the  milk 
and  butter.  Corn-fodder  is  excellent  food  as  an  ad- 
dition, but  if  fed  by  itself  will  give  an  unpleasant  taste 
to  both  milk  and  butter.  Steamed  or  cooked  food  is  now 
much  used  and  to  great  advantage ;  cows  will  eagerly 
drink  the  hay-tea  that  is  left  after  steaming  the  hay. 
Potatoes,  raw  or  cooked,  are  excellent  food,  and  thus 
the  small  ones  come  into  play.  In  summer-time,  or 
early  fall,  if  the  pasture  is  short,  fresh  corn-fodder 
helps  the  milking  qualities  wonderfully.  This  should 
always  be  grown,  as  large  quantities  can  be  raised  in  a 
small  space,  though  rather  difficult  to  cure  for  winter 
use. 

Eight  tons  of  green  fodder,  or  four  tons  of  dry  fod- 
der, is  about  a  fair  medium  crop  to  an  acre  of  sweet 
corn,  planted  close,  and  sufficient  to  last  one  cow  a 
year,  feeding  about  forty-five  pounds  green  or  twenty 
to  twenty-five  of  dried  fodder  per  day.  A  larger  amount 
will  be  raised  from  Chester  county  corn,  and  planted  in 
drills,  the  seed  dropped  in  every  third  furrow.  Corn- 
fodder  is  the  great  standard  crop  for  soiling,  and  should 
be  sown  and  fed  as  early  as  possible  in  the  season,  as 
the  earlier  in  the  season  it  is  fed  the  more  it  will  help 
the  milking  qualities. 

For  curing  and  storing  the  fodder,  the  best  way  Is  to 


I08        THE   JERSEY,   ALDERNEY  AND    GUERNSEY  COW. 

allow  it  to  wilt  a  few  days  after  cutting,  then  place  it  in 
the  barn,  with  alternate  layers  of  dry  straw,  each  layer 
about  eight  inches  thick.  The  straw  absorbs  the  juice 
from  the  stalks  and  prevents  heating  and  moulding, 
success  depending  upon  the  previous  amount  of  drying. 
Being  sown  at  the  rate  of  some  three  bushels  per  acre, 
it  forms  no  ears,  and  consequently  there  is  but  little  ex- 
haustion of  the  richness  of  the  stalks  or  of  the  fertility 
of  the  land,  more  being  left  in  the  soil  by  the  roots  than 
is  carried  off  in  the  stalk  and  leaf;  besides,  the  shading 
of  the  ground  prevents  the  growth  of  weeds.  Another 
advantage  is  the  readiness  with  which  the  crop  may  be 
sown  on  any  waste  piece  of  ground  that  maybe  plowed 
later  than  it  would  do  to  plant  a  common  crop. 

The  following  is  the  management  of  an  intelligent 
young  farmer  whose  herd  of  cows,  fed  for  milk,  pro- 
duced an  average  of  over  2300  quarts.  The  winter 
feed  was  principally  an  allowance  of  three  bushels  of 
cut  feed  and  ten  quarts  of  corn-meal  and  wheat  bran 
mixed  in  the  ratio  of  one  to  three.  This  was  fed  in 
three  rations,  and  immediately  after  one  feeding  was 
done  another  was  mixed  up,  thoroughly  scalded,  and 
let  stand,  closely  covered,  until  next  feeding  time. 
These  feeds  were  occasionally  interspersed  with  one  of 
roots.  In  summer  the  cows  run  at  pasture  in  the  day, 
are  stabled  at  night  in  an  open,  airy  shed  and  fed  a 
heavy  ration  of  either  green  rye,  oats  in  milk,  Hunga- 
rian grass,  or  cornstalks  just  coming  into  tassel,  accord- 
ing as  one   or  the   other  was    fit.     Before    they  were 


THE   JERSEY,  ALDERNEY  AND    GUERNSEY  COW.      IO9 

turned  out  In  the  morning  they  had  a  similar  feed.  He 
purposes  to  vary  this  feed  more  by  giving  one  week 
cotton-seed  meal  Instead  of  corn-meal,  another  week 
linseed-meal,  etc.,  also  a  larger  supply  of  roots,  the 
cows  needing  variety  as  well  as  quantity. 

We  also  can  recommend  the  followlnc^  for  winter 
feeding:  In  the  morning,  after  the  cows  are  curried  and 
cared  for,  cut  up  one  peck  of  carrots  for  each  cow ; 
after  eating,  the  cows  are  milked,  and  while  milking  Is 
going  on,  the  water  Is  put  on  to  boil  in  the  boiler.  In 
a  large  trough  Is  put  three-quarters  of  a  bushel  of  cut 
hay  for  each  cow,  and  the  boiling  water  poured  on. 
Five  quarts  of  shorts  and  two  quarts  of  Indian  meal  are 
added.  This  is  well  stirred,  and  fed  warm,  not  hot,  with 
another  feed  of  cut  carrots  at  night  and  plenty  of  good 
hay  during  the  day. 


CHAPTER    IV. 

THE  MANAGEMENT  OF   THE    COW. 

The  proper  management  of  milking  cows  is  no  less 
necessary  than  proper  food. 

It  should  be  always  borne  in  mind  that  the  animal 
whose  capabilities  are  for  milking  becomes  lean  on  the 
same  quantity  of  food  as  will  make  the  feeding  cattle 
fat.  The  consequence  of  this  is  that  the  milking  and 
therefore  lean  cow  is  more  affected  by  changes  of  tem- 
perature than  the  feeding  or  fat  one. 

It  follows  that  in  the  successful  management  of  the 
milch  cow  great  care  should  be  taken  to  avoid  rapid 
and  considerable  changes  of  temperature,  as  well  as 
damp  or  strong  clay  land.  There  should  always  be  a 
clean,  dry  shed  in  which  the  cattle  may  take  shelter 
whenever  they  feel  uncomfortable  either  from  heat  and 
flies  or  from  cold  and  damp.  This  shed  should  be  so 
constructed  that  it  may  to  a  certain  extent  clean  itself 
by  drainage,  to  avoid  the  accumulation  of  foul  water, 
the  floor  being  constructed  of  materials  of  a  dry  nature. 
The  aspect  should  be  such  as  to  avoid  north  and  north- 
easterly winds. 

An  animal  always  cold  is  always  uncomfortable,  and 
a  large  proportion  of  the  food  she  takes  is  consumed  in 

no 


THE   JERSEY,   ALDERNEY  AND    GUERNSEY  COW.      Ill 

keeping-  up  the  heat  of  the  body,  instead  of  making 
milk ;  warmth  is  therefore,  in  effect,  food  to  the  cow, 
and  may  be  obtained  at  Httle  cost  and  with  little  trouble 
by  means  of  a  shed  as  recommended :  and  where  this 
is  dry  and  clean,  the  cow  will  resort  to  it  spontaneously 
whenever  she  knows  it  to  be  conducive  to  her  warmth 
which,  as  above  said,  Is  her  food  to  a  great  extent. 
Cold  and  sudden  chills,  on  the  other  hand,  are  a  great 
detriment  to  the  appearance  of  the  cow,  and  are  fre- 
quently the  cause  of  her  falling  off  in  her  milk  so  early 
in  the  season. 

So  important  is  it  to  provide  against  great  alteration 
of  temperature  that  the  impossibility  of  doing  this  in 
large  pastures  has  within  the  last  few  years  engendered 
the  lung  disease  which  has  been  so  destructive  among 
cattle.  Formerly,  pastures  were  small  in  extent  and 
defended  by  large  and  thick  hedge-rows  as  well  as  trees, 
but  the  practice  latterly  having  been  to  open  the  fields 
and  to  divest  them  of  everything  which  could  form  a 
shelter  for  the  cattle,  what  has  been  gained  in  increasing 
the  quantity  of  feed  has  been  lost  by  the  disease  which 
the  inclemency  of  an  unsheltered  field  has  engendered. 
It  is  much  to  be  questioned  whether  Nature  was  not  the 
best  judge,  after  all. 

Much  injury  is  likewise  done  by  turning  cattle  out 
too  early  in  the  season,  exchanging  them  from  a  warm 
yard  or  shed  (especially  just  after  calving)  to  pass  the 
night  in  the  open  air  before  the  season  is  sufficiendy 
advanced  to  make  such  exposure  bearable. 


112        THE   JERSEY,   ALDERNEY  AND    GUERNSEY  COW. 

In  proportion  as  the  breed  of  cattle  has  Improved,  so 
has  the  necessity  of  care  become  apparent,  dehcacy  of 
constitution  and  physical  sensitiveness  always  Increasing 
with  high  blood.  As  a  principle  of  economy  I  strongly 
advocate  the  practice  (which  Is  lately  gaining  ground) 
of  bringing  milch  cows  in  at  night  all  through  the  year, 
for  they  spoil  much  grass,  especially  in  full,  strong  pas- 
ture, during  the  night,  and  are  not  benefited  by  being 
in  the  dewy  grass  too  early  in  the  morning;  the  manure 
also  would  be  In  the  yard,  where  It  Is  valuable,  instead 
of  under  the  hedge,  where  It  Is  lost,  and  where  the 
cattle  would  naturally  lie  for  protection. 

During  the  winter,  when  tied  up  In  stalls,  great  ad- 
vantage Is  derived  from  thoroughly  cleaning  the  cattle 
occasionally  with  a  brush,  as  they  cannot  then  turn 
round  and  lick  themselves  or  rub  as  they  would  in  the 
field.     A  currying  is  as  good  as  a  feed. 

The  feet  should  also  be  examined,  lest  they  should 
get  too  long  and  thereby  weaken  the  pasterns,  which  is 
easily  remedied  by  the  removal  of  a  portion  of  the  toe 
with  a  small  saw. 

M.  Le  Cornu  gives  the  following  as  the  management 
pursued  in  Jersey: 

"  In  order  to  derive  the  greatest  possible  advantage 
from  his  cows,  the  Jersey  farmer  endeavors  to  arrange 
or  them  to  calve  during  the  first  three  months  of  the 
year;  that  is,  when  vegetation  speedily  advances.  In 
the  winter,  cattle  are  always  housed  at  night:  when 
they  come  in  (about  four  o'clock  in  the  afternoon),  they 


THE    JERSEY,   ALDERNEY  AND    GUERNSEY  COW.     II3 

are  milked,  after  which  each  receives  about  three-fourths 
of  a  bushel  of  roots  and  a  little  hay ;  they  are  then  left 
until  eight  o'clock,  when  a  bundle  of  straw  is  given  to 
each  one.  The  following  morning  they  are  attended  to 
at  six  o'clock,  or  even  before  that  hour;  having  been 
milked,  they  again  receive  the  same  allowance  of  roots 
and  hay  as  before  mentioned,  and  at  nine  o'clock  are 
turned  out,  if  fine,  in  some  sheltered  field  or  orchard ; 
then  the  stables  are  cleaned  out,  and  the  bedding  re- 
newed if  required.  Cows  are  dried  one  month  or  six 
weeks  before  calving ;  bran  mashes  are  given  to  them 
about  the  time  of  parturition,  and  continued  for  a  fort- 
night after  the  calf  is  born :  at  no  other  time  do  they 
receive  this  food.  Bull  calves  intended  for  the  butcher 
receive  the  cow's  milk  for  about  a  month  or  six  weeks, 
then  they  are  considered  fit  for  sale.  A  good  calf  will 
sell  for  about  fifty  shillings,  some  for  more,  but  many 
for  less.  If  the  calf  be  a  heifer,  she  is  always  reared 
and  kept  in  the  island  until  she  is  two  years  old ;  when, 
if  not  required,  she  is  sold  for  exportation.  Returning 
to   the   cow :    two   weeks    or   so    after   calvinof    if   the 

o' 

weather  be  very  fine,  she  is  turned  out  to  grass  in  the 
day-time :  it  is  the  custom  in  all  the  Channel  Islands  to 
tether  cattle ;  the  tethers  are  made  of  small  chain ;  a 
spike  about  one  foot  long  is  attached  at  one  end  and 
driven  into  the  ground;  the  other  end  is  tied  to  the 
cow's  halter,  the  latter  being  made  fast  at  the  base  of 
her  horns ;  the  lencrth  of  these  tethers  is  altoo^ether 
about  four  yards.     During  the  day,  cattle  are  frequently 

15 


114      THE   JERSEY,   ALDERNEY  AND    GUERNSEY  COW 

moved,  generally  every  three  hours,  and  sometimes 
oftener ;  drink  is  given  to  them  in  the  morning  on  leav- 
ing the  stable,  and  at  noon  ;  if  it  be  summer-time,  they 
receive  it  also  in  the  evening.  About  the  month  of 
May  they  are  allowed  to  remain  out  at  night,  and  con- 
tinue so  until  the  end  of  October,  when  the  system  of 
housinor  above  described  recommences.  During  sum- 
mer,  cows  are  frequently  milked  three  times  a  day ;  and 
when  the  weather  becomes  very  warm,  they  are  brought 
into  the  stable  for  a  few  hours,  else  they  would  be  tor- 
mented by  flies.  At  this  period  (height  of  summer)  a 
great  diminution  takes  place  in  their  milk ;  but  as  the 
heat  ceases  toward  the  fall,  it  rapidly  springs  up  again 
to  what  it  was  in  the  spring :  this  is  the  time  when  but- 
ter is  crocked  for  winter  supply.  A  cow  is  in  her 
prime  at  six  years  of  age,  and  continues  good  until  ten 
years  old ;  many  are  kept  that  are  much  older,  but  then 
they  begin  to  fall  off.  In  general,  cows  have  their  first 
calf  when  much  too  young;  at  two  years  old  is  their 
usual  time,  but  then  their  produce  is  small,  and  con- 
tinues so  for  at  least  a  twelvemonth,  when  it  gradually 
increases  until  it  arrives  at  maturity.  A  good  cow  on 
the  average  gives  fourteen  quarts  of  milk  per  day,  or 
eight  or  nine  pounds  of  butter  per  week :  instances  are 
common  of  cows  giving  twelve  or  even  fourteen  pounds 
of  butter  in  one  week,  but  that  is  above  the  average 
figure." 

Perfect  cleanliness  in  every  part  of  the  cow-house  is 
of  essential  importance — to  judge  from  the  filthy  con- 


THE    JERSEY,   ALDERNEY  AND   GUERNSEY  COW.      II5 

dition  in  which  many — too  many — are  kept,  we  would 
think  that  this  was  not  essential.  The  stalls  should  be 
kept  clean,  and  not  only  so,  but  the  walls  free  from  cob- 
webs and  dust ;  and  not  less  essential  is  it  that  the 
mangers  should  be  kept  clean  also.  If  we  would  only 
pay  a  little  attention  to  the  habits  of  our  farm  animals, 
it  would  be  seen  that  they  are  scrupulously  clean, 
almost  fastidiously  so.  Much  of  the  benefit  of  good 
food  is  lost  by  giving  it  badly  prepared  and  in  dirty 
mangers  or  boxes.  The  importance  of  ventilation  will 
be  to  a  large  extent  lost  if  the  interior  of  the  house  is 
not  kept  clean.  It  is  of  little  use  to  admit  fresh  air  to 
the  interior  if  it  is  only  there  to  be  mixed  with  nox- 
ious emanations  arising  from  the  presence  of  dirt. 
Another  point  to  be  attended  to  is  the  bedding  or  lit- 
tering for  the  cows ;  in  many  cases  this  is  grossly  neg- 
lected, the  animals  being  kept  in  a  very  uncomfortable 
condition.  As  a  rule,  the  long  straw  which  is  gener- 
ally used  is  used  in  a  way  anything  but  economical ;  by 
far  the  most  efficient  and  most  economical  way  to  use 
straw  is  to  cut  it  with  the  straw-cutter.  This  may 
appear  to  be  a  costly  mode  of  using  it,  but  it  is  quite 
the  reverse.  Less  straw  is  required  in  this  form  than 
if  used  long,  and  it  not  only  admits  of  the  "  droppings  " 
of  the  cow  being  lifted  easily  away  without  disturbing 
the  rest  of  the  bedding,  but  it  is,  when  done  well,  in  the 
best  condition  for  the  manure  or  dung  heap.  Sawdust 
also  forms  an  excellent  bedding,  as  do  chaff,  leaves,  and 
fine  tanner's  bark.     The  ammonia  which,  in  even  or- 


Il6      THE   JERSEY,  ALDERNEY  AND   GUERNSEY  COW, 

dinary  circumstances,  rises  from  the  droppings  and  bed- 
ding saturated  with  urine,  and  is  lost,  may  be  fixed  by 
sprinkling  the  bedding  and  the  gutters  with  sulphuric 
acid,  the  oil  of  vitriol  of  commerce  ;  i  lb.  weight  of  this 
will  fix  the  ammonia  of  60  or  70  gallons  of  urine.  The 
liquid  should  be  led  at  once  from  the  house  to  the 
liquid  manure  tank,  which  will  soon  pay  for  itself;  the 
using  of  sulphuric  acid  will  raise  the  value  of  the  liquid 
manure,  that  being  estimated  at  ten  dollars  a  year  per 
cow.  The  cost  of  the  acid  thus  used  will  be  very 
trifling:  an  authority  puts  it  at  two  cents  per  cow  per 
week. 

The  best  material  for  making  floors  of  cow-houses 
is  "  Portland  Cement  Concrete ;"  it  is  easily  made, 
easily  laid,  economical  and  gives  a  surface  as  fine  and 
as  hard  as  stone.  Grooves  for  giving  a  foot-hold,  if 
thought  necessary,  and  gutters  can  be  formed  in  it  with 
the  greatest  ease.  A  level  floor  is  decidedly  objection- 
able ;  no  amount  of  litter  will  keep  cows  clean  on  such 
a  floor.  A  plank  floor  should  be  laid  in  the  following 
iorm :  A  space  5  feet  wide  should  be  left  for  the  cow  to 
stand  on  from  the  manure  drop  to  the  manger.  The 
manure  drop  should  be  12  inches  wide,  7  inches  deep 
and  water-tight.  If  planks  are  used  for  the  floor,  hewed 
or  sawed  timber  may  be  laid  down  to  form  the  sides  of 
the  drop ;  the  bottom  should  be  pounded  stone  grouted 
in  cement.  The  five  foot  stand  for  the  cows  should 
have  an  inclination  of  3  inches  toward  the  drop. 

A  plank  floor  is  very  objectionable  because — ist.  It 


THE   JERSEY,   ALDERNEY  AND    GUERNSEY  COW.       11/ 

is  not  durable ;  2d.  It  absorbs  the  urine  and  corrupts 
the  atmosphere  of  the  stable ;  and  3d.  Because  it  is 
always  slippery  when  wet,  frequently  causing  serious 
accidents  to  stock. 

The  best  floor  in  cow  stables  is  hard  brick  set  on 
their  edges ;  after  the  brick  are  properly  laid  mix  one 
part  of  cement  with  two  parts  of  sand,  adding  a  suffi- 
cient quantity  of  water  to  make  the  material  so  it  could 
be  readily  poured  out  of  a  pail ;  this  mixture  should  be 
poured  on  the  brick  and  brushed  over  with  an  old 
broom ;  the  brick  will  thoroughly  join  together  by  the 
cement,  making  a  water-tight  floor  on  which  cattle  never 
slip,  and  one  which  will  last  a  long  time.  The  manure 
drop  is  made  by  excavating  the  earth  and  laying  the 
brick  in  cement.  The  drop  is  12  inches  wdde  by  7 
inches  deep,  and  is  perfectly  water-tight.  A  discharge- 
pipe  may  be  connected  with  the  drop,  leading  to  a  com- 
post-heap, or  a  little  dry  earth  may  be  daily  thrown  in 
the  drop,  which  will  readily  absorb  all  the  liquid  man- 
ure. But  not  only  should  the  house  be  kept  clean,  but 
it  is  essential  that  the  animals  themselves  be  so  also. 
It  is  unnecessary  here  to  describe  in  detail  the  influence 
which  the  skin  has  upon  the  health  of  an  animal ;  suffice 
it  to  say  that  it  performs  most  important  functions 
which  cannot  be  performed  if  the  coat  of  the  cow  is 
kept  in  a  filthy  condition,  filled  with  dust  or  coated  over 
with  patches  of  hardened  manure  ;  this  condition  of  body 
induces  the  attacks  and  aggravates  the  evil  effects  of 
lice,   etc.     All   sorts   of   cures  are    advocated   for  this 


Il8        THE   JERSEY,   ALDERNEY  AND    GUERNSEY  COW. 

plague  of  parasites  with  which  cows  are  afflicted,  but  if 
they  were  kept  perfectly  clean,  there  would  be  fewer 
occasions  when  such  cures  would  be  necessary.  Pre- 
vention is  better  than  cure,  and  by  attending  to  the 
cleanliness  of  the  cow  much  would  be  prevented. 
Cows  should  be  curry-combed,  or  at  all  events  rubbed 
down  carefully  several  times  a  day  with  a  wisp  of 
straw,  and  all  manure  removed  from  their  coats.  All 
this  may  be  considered  troublesome,  as  no  doubt  it  is ; 
but  then  anything  worth  doing  is  not  done  without 
trouble,  and  to  make  cows  pay  cannot  surely  be  called 
an  unnecessary  trouble. 


CHAPTER    V. 

THE  ART  OF  MILKING, 

As  a  general  principle,  cows  should  be  milked  twice 
a  day,  and  the  times  of  milking  should  be  invariable 
all  the  year  round — viz.,  at  six  in  the  morning  and  six 
in  the  evening.  If  after  calving,  in  the  early  state  of 
milk,  it  should  be  found  that  the  bag  becomes  too  full 
from  extreme  heat  or  other  cause,  it  will  be  advisable 
to  reduce  the  bag  in  the  middle  of  the  day,  in  which 
case  eight  o'clock  in  the  evening  will  be  early  enough 
for  the  last  milking ;  but  some  judgment  Is  requisite  in 
putting  this  into  practice,  as  too  great  eagerness  to  re- 
lieve the  bag  may  have  an  injurious  effect,  by  weaken- 
ing its  power  of  retention.  Before  and  during  the  time 
of  milking  the  cow  should  have  some  good  hay,  chaff 
or  meal.  This  is  beneficial  in  two  ways — first,  It  Is  a 
wholesome  stay  to  the  stomach,  and  secondly.  It  en- 
grosses the  attention  of  the  animal  and  quiets  it  during 
the  operation. 

The  hands  should  be  dryland  clean  ;  wet  hands  chap 
the  teats  in  cold  weather,  and  want  of  cleanliness  pro- 
duces warts.  Take  great  care  that  the  last  of  the  milk 
is  withdrawn,  as  one  pint  of  this  is  richer  for  the  pro- 
duction of  butter  than  two  quarts  of  milk  first  drawn 

119 


I20      THE   JERSEY,  ALDERNEY  AND    GUERNSEY  COW. 

off.  This  point  is  of  paramount  importance,  as,  inde 
pendently  of  the  quality  thus  produced,  imperfect  milk- 
ing will  dry  the  cow  much  earlier  than  if  properly 
milked,  and  tend  to  decrease  the  quantity.  Milk  as 
quickly  as  possible,  and  never  leave  the  cow  during  the 
operation :  an  active  milker  may  milk  five  cows  an 
hour;  therefore,  with  a  dairy  of  ten  or  twelve  cows, 
two  persons  should  be  employed,  and  so  in  proportion, 
or  regularity  will  be  interfered  with.  Six  weeks  prior 
to  the  time  of  calving  commence  to  dry  the  cow  by 
milking  once  a  day  for  three  or  four  days,  which  will 
decrease  the  quality  ;  then  cease  milking  for  three  days, 
taking  care  that  the  bag  does  not  get  over-filled  by  the 
cessation  (which  must  be  very  carefully  observed  in  hot 
weather)  ;  after  this  the  judgment  must  be  exercised 
as  to  any  future  milkings,  which,  if  possible,  should 
cease  altogether  one  month  before  calving.  In  all  cases 
thoroughly  cleanse  the  bag,  as,  should  any  milk  be  left, 
disease  may  be  originated  by  the  remaining  secretion, 
which  will  be  very  injurious  at  the  next  time  of  calving. 
A  few  days  prior  to  calving,  should  the  bag  be  found 
much  distended,  it  should  be  thoroughly  relieved. 
This  system  I  have  pursued  for  many  years,  having  a 
number  of  calves  annually  without  the  loss  of  a  single 
cow. 

Whatever  may  be  the  cause  of  restlessness  or  irrita- 
bility of  the  cow  during  milking,  gentleness  is  the  only 
treatment  that  should  be  allowed — violence  or  even 
harshness,  never.     There  are  many  causes  after  recent 


THE   JERSE V,   ALDERNE Y  AND    G UERNSE Y  COW.      121 

calving  that  may  produce  inquietude,  but  no  other 
remedy  will  be  effectual.  A  young  animal  never  for- 
gets ill-treatment,  and  a  recurrence  of  similar  circum- 
stances will  remind  the  cow  of  former  punishment. 

All  owners  of  cows  should  thoroughly  understand 
the  principles  of,  and  be  able  to  perform  the  operation 
of  milking  as  it  should  be  done.  Very  many  persons, 
children  and  grown  persons,  set  about  and  are  trusted 
with  the  business  of  milking  who  never  perform  their 
part  properly,  although  they  may  have  practiced  for 
years. 

Almost  all  cows  in  milk  are  nervous  animals,  if  not 
often  wilful,  and  in  order  that  you  may  obtain  all  the 
milk  they  are  capable  of  giving,  they  must  be  treated 
with  the  utmost  gentleness,  and  that  at  all  times.  If  a 
cow  stands  in  fear,  perhaps  trembling,  of  your  blows, 
kicks  or  threats,  she  will  very  likely  withhold  her  milk ; 
at  all  events,  it  will  affect  either  the  quality  or  quantity 
to  a  o^reater  or  less  extent.  There  are  seldom  cases 
requiring  chastisement;  more  frequently  kindness,  with 
firmness,  will  answer  a  much  better  purpose.  In  most 
cases  where  chastisement  is  administered,  an  expecta- 
tion of  a  full  quantity  of  milk  will  be  disappointed. 

The  cow  should  be  first  brought  to  a  proper  position 
by  approaching  her  on  the  right  side,  stool  and  pail 
ready  ;  place  the  stool,  sit  down  on  it,  and  with  the  right 
hand  brush  the  bag  and  teats  clean  before  commencing 
to  draw  the  milk.  During  this  operation  the  milk  flows 
In  rapidly,  and  all  the  ducts  leading  to  the   teats  are 

16 


122     THE   JERSEY,   ALDERNEY  AND   GUERNSEY  COW. 

filled  completely.  The  faster  and  sooner  It  Is  completely- 
drawn  out,  with  gentleness,  the  more  likely  you  will  be 
to  get  the  whole.  The  milker  who  sits  and  talks,  or  In 
any  w^ay  delays  his  business,  will  never  obtain  all  the 
milk  the  cow  Is  capable  of  yielding. 

The  stripping,  to  obtain  the  last  drop,  should  be  done 
with  great  gentleness  by  working  the  udder  somewhat 
In  Imitation  of  a  calf  sucking.  A  person  who  under- 
stands and  faithfully  performs  the  operation  of  milking 
will  cause  the  cow  to  yield  milk  that  will  make  one- 
quarter  more  butter  than  one-half  the  common  grown 
persons  who  do  the  milking  will.  This  is  a  strong  as- 
sertion, but  no  stronger  than  we  believe  the  facts  will 
warrant. 

All  beginners  should  be  properly  taught  at  first  how 
to  take  hold  of  the  teats ;  and  when  once  learned,  they 
will  remember.  This  is  seldom  explained  or  taught  to 
beginners,  and  hence  each  chooses  his  own  mode  of 
milking.  They  should  be  instructed  that  If  they  would 
milk  with  ease,  the  hand  should  be  kept  very  near  the 
extremity  of  the  teats — not  so  near,  however,  as  that  the 
milk  will  strike  any  part  of  the  hand  or  fingers.  They 
should  sit  down  close  to  the  cow,  not  at  arm's  length 
away ;  the  left  arm  should  always  press  against  or  be 
in  close  proximity  to  the  leg  of  the  cow,  and  then  if  she 
kicks  or  steps,  you  can  ward  off  the  force  and  protect 
yourself  and  pail  of  milk. 

With  proper  handling  of  heifers  while  young  and 
previous  to  calving,  there  Is  very  little  liability  to  have 


THE    JERSEY,   ALDERNEY  AND    GUERNSEY   CO  IF.     1 23 

kicking  cows.  Sometimes  a  heifer  with  her  first  calf, 
and  even  okler  cows,  get  their  teats  sore,  cracked  or 
otherwise,  and  this  will  cause  uneasiness,  and  often  pain 
them  so  as  to  cause  them  to  kick  or  step.  In  all  such 
cases  they  should  be  humored,  coaxed  and  dealt  gently 
by,  and  even  caressed  and  fed  some  choice  bite  after 
milking.  It  would  be  well  to  have  a  pot  of  soft  grease 
from  the  top  of  the  pot  where  pork  and  greens  have 
been  boiled  to  apply  to  soften  the  cracks,  etc.,  previous 
to  milking,  and  again  afterward.  The  above-mentioned 
grease  is  the  best  application  the  writer  ever  used  to 
soften  and  heal  cracked  and  sore  teats  on  cows. 

For  milking  cows  that  kick  we  give  a  few  receipts. 
Though  this  ugly  habit  may,  and  sometimes  does,  arise 
from  viciousness,  we  believe  in  most  cases  It  arises  from 
some  tenderness  in  the  udder  from  soreness,  or  swelling, 
or  cracked  teats,  or  other  cause. 

Take  a  simple  holdback  strap  from  a  set  of  harness — 
or  to  have  a  new  one  made  purposely  would  be  better — 
slip  the  noose  over  the  cow's  off  foot  and  buckle  the 
near  one  to  it,  and  thus  the  worst  kicker  can  be  milked. 
If  there  are  two  or  three  cows  that  kick,  the  same  strap 
will  answer  for  all.  The  cows  can  occupy  whichever 
stalls  are  most  convenient  In  the  barn ;  or  If  milked  In 
the  cow  lot  In  summer^  fasten  a  cow  chain  to  one  of  the 
fence  posts,  chain  and  strap  and  milk  your  kickers  In 
succession  without  any  fear  of  a  broken  nose. 

Halter  the  cow,  then  have  a  small  rope  long  enough 
to  reach  around  her  body,  on  one  end  of  which  have 


124      THE   JERSEY,   ALDERNEY  AND    GUERNSEY  COW. 

a  hook  which  is  put  over  the  cow  in  front  of  the  hip- 
joints  and  in  front  of  the  udder,  and  hooked  over  the 
rope,  which  is  then  drawn  moderately  tight  and  tied 
with  a  tuck  knot.  The  cow  soon  finds  she  is  powerless 
for  mischief,  and  with  a  few  times'  milking  thus  secured, 
she  yields  to  kindness  and  gentle,  soothing  treatment. 

Prepare  a  strap  the  right  length ;  take  the  leg  next 
to  you  when  milking,  bend  it,  pass  the  strap  around  the 
leg,  let  the  cow  stand  on  three  legs,  and  one  can  milk 
with  perfect  safety. 

Tie  up  the  heifer,  her  head  as  high  as  possible,  and 
tie  her  legs  with  a  common  rope. 

When  cows  withhold  their  milk,  they  are  commonly 
in  a  dissatisfied  state  of  mind,  and  therefore  anything 
to  draw  their  attention  from  this  condition  answers  a 
good  purpose.  We  have  always  succeeded  by  giving 
them  a  mess  of  food  to  amuse  them  while  the  milkincr 
is  going  on,  generally  dry  meal,  so  as  to  keep  them 
long  occupied.  If  they  have  suckling  calves,  let  them 
suck  at  the  time  of  milking.  Driving  them  in  a  posi- 
tion so  that  their  fore  leofs  will  stand  on  much  hio^her 
ground  than  the  hind  legs,  or  on  lower  ground,  counter- 
acts the  animal's  attention,  and  generally  succeeds.  It 
is  said  that  a  weight  on  the  small  of  the  animal's  back, 
as  a  bag  of  grain,  will  answer,  but  we  know  nothing  of 
its  efficacy. 


CHAPTER   VI. 

THE  DAIRY,  AND  ITS  MANAGEMENT. 

The  dairy-house  should  be  built  on  slighdy-elevated 
ground  and  on  a  dry  spot,  sheltered  as  much  as  possible 
from  the  south,  north  and  east;  it  should  be  sunk  at 
least  a  foot  in  the  earth,  for  the  sake  of  coolness. 

The  floor  should  be  of  bricks  or  tiles,  on  a  descent 
toward  the  drain,  which  should  have  a  plug,  so  that 
spring  water  may  be  retained  on  the  floor  for  three  or 
four  hours  during  the  day  in  the  heat  of  summer.  The 
plugging  the  drain  when  its  use  is  not  required  will  also 
have  the  effect  of  preventing  any  effluvium  rising 
throuorh-  it,  which  mip-ht  oriorinate  at  its  outlet  from  de- 
cayed  vegetable  or  other  matter. 

The  benches,  which  should  be  kept  a  few  inches  from 
the  wall  to  allow  of  free  ventilation  and  to  prevent 
insects  from  falling  into  the  pans,  may  be  of  stone  or 
slate,  the  latter  material  being  preferable. 

The  windows,  which  should  be  so  placed  as  to  allow 

of  a  free   current  of  air  passing  through  the  building, 

should  be  of  perforated  zinc,  with  shutters  to  close  in 

the  winter ;  and  exteriorly  to  every  window  where  the 

sun   can  fall   at  any  time  of  the  day  there  should  be 

placed  a  kind  of  Venetian  blind,  to  keep  the  rays  from 

fallinor  throuo'h  the  zinc. 

125 


126      THE   JERSEY,   ALDERNEY  AND    GUERNSEY  COW 

Never  allow  the  dairy  to  be  used  for  any  other  pur- 
pose than  that  for  which  it  was  originally  intended: 
nothing  but  milk,  cream  and  butter  should  at  any  time 
be  permitted  to  be  placed  there.  To  use  it  as  a  pantry 
or  to  keep  meat  in  is  to  ensure  tainted  butter.  The 
rays  of  the  sun  should  be  carefully  kept  from  falling  on 
any  part  of  the  cream,  either  in  process  of  formation  or 
when  skimmed  off  ready  for  churning. 

The  dairy  utensils  consist  of  the  churn,  sized  accord- 
ing to  the  number  of  cattle  and  frequency  of  churning; 
pans  for  holding  the  milk,  containing  from  eight  to 
ten  quarts,  and  as  shallow  as  possible ;  a  deep  pan  to 
hold  the  cream  during  accumulation  ;  neat  butter-prints, 
of  white  wood ;  ivory  butter-slice ;  fine  linen  cloths,  to 
cover  the  butter ;  a  marble  slab,  to  deposit  the  butter 
on  ;  a  small  ladder,  to  lie  across  the  milking-pans  to 
support  the  strainer;  the  strainer  itself,  consisting  of  a 
sieve-hoop,  about  seven  inches  deep,  with  a  band  to  fit 
over  it  to  keep  the  straining-cloth  closely  on  ;  milking- 
cans,  of  strong  block  tin,  as  being  more  easily  kept 
sweet  than  wooden  buckets ;  and  good  strong  tin  trays 
to  carry  the  butter. 

The  milk-pans  I  recommend  to  be  made  of  glass, 
which  is  a  non-conductor  of  lightning,  and  can  be  kept 
sweet  and  clean  by  merely  wiping  with  wash-leather, 
while  scalding  will  scarcely  be  sufficient  for  a  porous 
material.     The  cream-pan  should  also  be  of  glass. 

The  most  scrupulous  cleanliness,  in  every  partic- 
ular, IS  ABSOLUTELY  INDISPENSABLE. 


THE    JERSEY,   ALDERNEY  AND    GUERNSEY  COW.     12/ 

As  soon  as  ever  the  milk  Is  taken  from  the  cow  have 
it  in,  and  strain  it  carefully  through  the  sieve  into  the 
pans  before  it  gets  cool ;  after  which  it  should  not  be 
disturbed  till  skimmed,  and  care  should  be  taken  not  to 
agitate  the  milk  before  it  is  deposited  in  the  pans  to 
set ;  all  milk  required  for  use  must  therefore  be  taken 
before  putting  in  the  pans. 

As  an  equable  temperature  Is  advantageous  to  the 
speedy  production  of  the  cream.  In  hot  weather  the 
floor  of  the  dairy  should  be  kept  moist,  to  produce  cool- 
ness by  evaporation ;  and  in  winter  a  small  stove  will 
be  of  benefit,  If  smoke  and  smell  be  avoided  in  its  use. 

To  produce  the  most  delicate  butter,  where  economy 
is  not  an  object,  the  first  rising  of  the  cream  (about 
twelve  hours  after  the  milk  has  been  panned)  should 
be  taken  ;  but  for  ordinary  purposes  the  milk  should 
stand  twenty-four  hours  in  summer  and  forty-eight  in 
winter.  The  cream  while  accumulating  should  be  stirred 
night  and  morning,  which  will  air  It  and  keep  It  sweet 
to  churn  once  or  twice  a  week — that  Is,  once  a  week  in 
the  cold  and  cool  months,  and  twice  during  the  warm 
months,  June,  July,  August  and  Septembe'. 

Be  careful  to  keep  all  tin  vessels  well-tinned,  so  that 
no  rust  of  iron  shall  come  in  contact  with  the  milk;  and 
look  well  to  the  earrings  of  the  pail-handles,  that  grease 
and  dirt  may  not  accumulate  there.  Be  sure  also  diat 
your  strainer  and  all  other  cloths  are  kept  well  scalded 
and  cleansed :  In  fact,  too  much  stress  cannot  be  laid 
on  the  word  cleanliness. 


128       THE   JERSEY,   ALDERNEY  AND    GUERNSEY  COW, 

The  process  of  churning  will  be  much  promoted  in 
winter  by  warming  the  churn  with  hot  water  previously 
to  putting  the  cream  in  ;  and  in  summer,  cold  spring 
water  put  in  the  churn  with  the  cream  will  make  your 
butter  firmer.  The  churn  should  not  be  above  two- 
thirds  filled  for  churning. 

The  production  of  milk  for  butter-making  Is  essen- 
tially the  same  as  that  for  cheese-making.  There  is 
this  difference  to  be  observed,  however:  For  cheese  we 
must  look  principally  to  the  quantity  of  caseine  in  the 
milk,  for  butter  we  must  consider  the  yield  of  cream 
entirely.  Cows  must  be  selected  accordingly.  For 
both  purposes  the  same  care  as  to  cleanliness,  quality 
of  feed,  purity  of  water  and  gentle  treatment  of  the  cows 
should  be  observed.  The  milk  in  both  cases  needs  to 
be  aired  and  cooled  soon  after  milking. 

From  this  point  quite  different  handling  is  required. 
For  cheese  we  constantly  agitate  the  milk  to  keep  the 
cream  from  risine ;  for  butter  we  must  set  the  milk  to 
rest  as  soon  as  possible,  and  not  only  avoid  all  stirring, 
but  not  allow  it  to  be  even  jarred.  The  more  perfect 
the  rest  the  more  completely  the  cream  will  rise. 

It  is  still  a  subject  of  debate  as  to  whether  the  cream 
rises  better  in  shallow  or  deep  dishes.  But  it  is  cer- 
tain that  it  will  rise  in  either  kind  of  vessel  if  all  the 
other  conditions  are  right.  The  tendency  is  toward 
setting  milk  in  deep  pails  and  in  large  masses.  Recent 
experiments,  however,  favor  shallow  pans. 

There  is  no  dispute  as  to  the  propriety  of  cooHng  the 


THE   JERSEY,   ALDERNEY  AND    GUERNSEY  COW.      1 29 

milk,  or  of  keeping  it  in  a  moist  atmosphere  and  in  a 
light  room.  Moisture  prevents  the  cream  from  drying 
on  the  surface  and  making  flacky  butter,  while  light  is 
essential  to  develop  the  color  so  much  desired. 

The  temperature,  it  is  asserted,  may  be  allowed  to  go 
lower  for  butter  than  for  cheese.  We  would  not  allow 
It  to  go  below  55°  for  butter,  and  believe  it  would  be 
better  to  keep  it  at  60°.  The  best  temperature  for 
churning  is  admitted  to  be  between  60°  and  65° — the 
latter  for  cold  and  the  former  for  hot  weather,  making 
a  mean  temperature  of  62°  to  63°  as  the  proper  point. 
Possibly  different  dairies  may  require  a  slightly  differ- 
ent temperature.  The  cream  should  be  allowed  to 
become  slightly  sour  if  a  good  keeping  article  is  re- 
quired, but  care  should  be  taken  that  the  cream  does 
not  get  too  old  and  seriously  Injure  the  flavor.  Sweet 
cream  makes  the  best-flavored  butter,  but  the  yield  is 
smaller  and  it  does  not  keep  as  well. 

The  best  method  of  churning  has  not  yet  been  de- 
termined. Many  patent  churns  have  been  presented 
to  the  public,  but  none  of  them  have  been  any  real  Im- 
provement on  the  old-fashioned  dash-churn.  There  is 
some  dispute  as  to  what  causes  the  separation  of  the 
butter  from  the  milk.  Some  say  it  is  the  concussion ; 
some  that  It  is  the  incorporation  of  the  air  with  the 
cream.  Certain  It  is  that  agitation  is  necessary.  Forc- 
inor  air  through  the  cream  while  ao^Itatino-  It  makes  the 
butter  separate  quicker,  but  It  Injures  the  quality. 
What  is  wanted  Is  some  method  that  will  agitate  every 

17 


130       THE   JERSEY,   ALDERNEY  AND    GUERNSEY  COW. 

particle  of  cream  alike,  making  the  butter  all  come  at 
once  and  of  the  same  texture.  By  every  method  yet 
devised  there  is  some  cream  at  the  sides,  corners  or 
ends,  that  does  not  get  so  much  churning  as  the  rest. 
This  lessens  the  yield  and  makes  the  quality  uneven. 
At  least  a  half  hour  should  be  consumed  in  churning. 
Where  the  milk  is  churned  it  is  allowed  to  change 
somewhat.  The  yield  of  butter  is  larger,  but  it  con- 
tains more  caseine,  and  is  therefore  inferior.  More 
power  is  required  to  churn  with. 

If  the  butter  comes  firm  and  solid  and  separates 
freely  from  the  milk,  but  little  working  will  be  required 
to  expel  the  buttermilk.  The  less  it  is  worked  the 
better,  if  the  buttermilk  is  got  out  and  the  salt  is  evenly 
incorporated.  It  is  better  to  wash  the  butter  than  to 
work  it  too  much  without,  but  whether  worked  or  not, 
the  buttermilk  must  be  expelled  or  it  will  injure  the 
flavor  and  the  keeping  quality.  Indeed,  it  is  asserted 
that  pure  butter  will  keep  almost  indefinitely  without 
salt.  But  such  butter  cannot  be  produced  by  the 
ordinary  process.  So  salt  must  be  added  to  make  it 
keep.  The  quantity  used  by  our  best  butter-makers 
varies  from  one-half  to  one  ounce  of  salt  to  one  pound 
of  butter.  Some  salt  considerably  higher  and  go  en- 
tirely by  the  taste.  Enough  salt  should  be  used  to  con- 
vert the  remaining  buttermilk  and  water  into  brine,  or 
the  butter  will  soon  lose  its  flavor  and  become  rancid. 

Butter  factories,  as  well  as  cheese  factories,  are  be- 
coming popular.     Some  skim  all  the  cream  they  can, 


THE   JERSEY,  ALDERNEY  AND    GUERNSEY  COW.       I3I 

and  then  feed  the  milk  to  hogs  or  calves.  Some  skim 
only  the  night's  milk,  and  make  the  milk  into  cheese. 
A  very  few  make  skim-milk  cheese,  for  which,  however, 
there  is  but  a  very  limited  demand. 

Production  of  BtUter. — The  number  of  pounds  of 
butter  made  in  the  United  States  in  1850  was  313,- 
345,306;  in  i860  it  was  460,509,854;  in  1870  it  was 
470*536,468;    in   1880  it  was  806,672,071. 

The  following  extract  is  from  a  paper  by  C.  Peter- 
sen, of  Windhausen,  translated  from  the  Milch  Zeitung: 

"The  churning  of  whole  milk  is,  as  a  rule,  little 
known.  It  is,  however,  often  resorted  to  in  Holstein, 
where  cheese  is  not  made.  The  general  mode  of  pro- 
cedure is  self-evident;  instead  of  being  skimmed,  when 
it  is  ripe  enough  the  whole  of  the  milk  is  worked  in  the 
churn. 

"  All  the  experiments  I  have  made  to  determine 
which  method  yields  the  most  butter  have  been  in  favor 
of  churning  the  whole  milk  when  other  circumstances 
have  been  equal. 

"  To  obtain  the  greatest  amount  of  butter,  in  churning 
cream,  it  is  necessary : 

"  I.  To  be  in  a  position  to  control  the  temperature  at 
all  times  of  the  year. 

**  2.  To  be  able  always  to  perform  the  skimming  at 
the  right  time. 

"  3.  Such  a  daily  supply  of  milk  as  will  yield  enough 
cream  to  allow  it  to  be  churned  before  its  yield  of 
butter  is  damaged  by  standing  too  long. 


132      THE   JERSEY,   ALDERNEY  AND    GUERNSEY  COW. 

"These  conditions  cannot  be  complied  with  in  all 
dairies,  and  the  less  so  the  smaller  the  establishment. 
The  greater  number  of  dairies  depend  on  three  or  four 
cows,  and  the  yield  of  butter  is  often  considerably  les- 
sened by  the  cream  standing  too  long,  owing  to  the 
quantity  not  being  sufficient  to  churn. 

"In  churning  whole  milk  I  always  proceed  as  follows: 

"The  evening  milk  of  one  day  and  the  morning  milk 
of  the  next  are  churned  too^ether.  The  former  is 
placed  in  a  tub  directly  after  milking,  and  the  latter 
added  to  it  the  next  morninor.  In  summer  the  milk  Is 
allowed  to  stand,  at  most,  two  feet  high  in  the  tub ;  In 
the  winter  about  two  and  a  half  feet.  In  very  hot 
weather  the  morninof  milk  is  cooled  down  to  i6°  to  20° 
R.  before  it  Is  added  to  the  eveninsf  milk.  Under  these 
circumstances  the  milk  is  nearly  always  ripe  for  churn- 
ing when  the  evening  milk  has  stood  thirty-six  and  the 
morning  twenty-four  hours.  The  temperature  of  the 
milk  when  beinof  churned  should  be  from  2°  to  t°  R. 
warmer  than  when  cream  is  churned.  The  churnlnof 
Itself  should  be  hurried  as  little  as  possible,  since  the 
butter  globules  being  more  widely  separated  in  milk 
than  in  cream,  rather  more  time  is  needed  for  them  to 
collect. 

"  In  churning  whole  milk  there  Is  an  Increase  In  labor, 
owing  to  the  necessity  for  more  frequent  churnings, 
but  this  is  far  outweighed  by  the  other  advantages  re- 
sultlno^  from  it." 

The  sm!^rt  wife  of  a  large  farmer  has  Informed  us 


THE    JERSEY,   ALDERNEY  AND    GUERNSEY  COW.     1 33 

how  she  manages  in  winter.  She  keeps  her  milk  in  a 
room  which  is  kept  rather  warmer  than  common  milk 
cellars.  In  the  morning,  on  churning  days,  she  places 
the  large  stone  pot  which  contains  the  cream  In  a  kettle 
of  hot  water  on  the  stove,  occasionally  stirring  it  with  a 
large  spoon,  until  the  thermometer  shows  64°.  This  is 
eight  degrees  higher  than  the  summer  temperature, 
but  in  winter  the  tendency  is  to  get  cooler,  while  in 
summer  the  temperature  commonly  rises.  It  is  then 
placed  in  the  churn,  and  a  fine  mass  of  butter  never 
fails  to  make  its  appearance  in  from  one-half  to  three- 
fourths  of  an  hour.  This  entirely  obviates  the  bad 
practice  of  pouring  hot  water  from  the  tea-kettle  spout 
into  the  cream  to  warm  it. 

It  sometimes  happens  that  in  winter  churning,  the 
small  granules  of  butter  will  make  their  appearance  a 
long  time  before  they  gather  into  a  solid  mass.  The 
gathering  may  be  much  hastened  by  dropping  into  the 
churn  a  small  lump  of  butter  at  this  time,  as  a  nucleus, 
around  which  the  particles  will  soon  adhere. 

There  is  no  doubt  that  cows  fed  on  good,  green,  well- 
cured  clover  hay,  or  on  green  corn-stalks,  will  give  bet- 
ter milk  and  better  butter  than  such  as  eat  black, 
watered  clover  or  chocolate-colored  stalks.  We  have 
found  nothing  equal  to  carrots  for  giving  us  fine  yellow 
butter  and  plenty  of  it  in  winter,  while  a  portion  of 
corn-meal  with  good  wholesome  fodder,  with  good, 
comfortable,  clean  quarters,  will  do  very  well. 

So    many  farmers'  wives,  who   find    no   difficulty  in 


134      THE   JERSEY,   ALDERNEY  AND    GUERNSEY  COW. 

making  the  best  of  butter  from  their  cows  during  the 
grass  season,  entirely  fail  of  success  in  the  same  line 
when  they  attempt  to  make  butter  in  winter,  that  it  may 
be  well  to  say  a  few  words  on  the  subject.  As  a  gen- 
eral rule  the  failure  to  make  good  butter  in  winter  does 
not  lie  at  the  door  of  the  dairywoman,  but  at  that  of 
the  farmer  who  keeps  and  feeds  the  cows.  Those  that 
understand  the  proper  method  of  managing  the  milk  and 
cream  so  as  to  make  sure  of  obtaining  a  good  article 
of  butter,  if  such  a  thing  can  possibly  be  made  from  the 
milk  of  their  cows,  are  often  grievously  disappointed  at 
the  results  of  their  labors,  without  having  the  least  idea 
of  the  cause. 

A  good  many  experiments  have  been  tried  in  Britian 
to  demonstrate  in  what  way  the  feeding  of  cows  during 
winter  affects  the  quality  and  value  of  their  milk. 
From  these  it  was  found  that  the  quality  of  the  milk 
given  varied  according  as  the  food  consumed  contained 
more  or  less  nitrocrenous  elements. 

With  abundance  of  roots  and  hay,  but  without  grain 
of  any  kind,  the  milk  given,  though  abundant,  was  defi- 
cient in  butter.  With  the  addition  of  a  small  quantity 
of  bean-meal  the  milk  became  richer  and  gave  nearly 
fifty  per  cent,  more  butter  and  of  a  better  quality  than 
that  from  hay  and  roots  alone.  To  make  the  produc- 
tion of  butter  in  winter  any  advantage  to  the  farmer,  he 
needs  to  have  good  cows  in  the  first  place,  and  in  the 
second  to  feed  them  with  the  object  in  view  of  produc- 
ing milk  that  is  rich  in  butyraceous  particles.    The  great 


!l>i''  '■'  \n,i 


THE   JERSEY,  ALDERNEY  AND    GUERNSEY  COW.      1 35 

point  is  to  keep  them  in  as  high  condition  as  is  consist- 
ent with  their  health  and  breeding,  and  rather  to  feed 
meal  of  some  kind,  peas,  corn  or  barley,  in  addition  to 
hay,  than  to  give  them  bran  or  roots  only.  Cows  in 
full  milk  should  get  about  three  pounds  of  pea  or  bar- 
ley meal  per  day,  in  addition  to  their  usual  allowance 
of  hay,  and  if  the  hay  can  be  cut  and  steamed,  and  the 
meal  stirred  in  just  when  the  hay  is  set  by  to  cool  after 
steaming,  so  much  the  better.  The  addition  of  a  little 
bran  is  of  advantage  in  giving  the  cows  a  better  relish 
for  their  food  and  keeping  their  bowels  in  a  healthy 
state. 

"  Those  who  condemn  the  Jersey  cows  as  small 
yielders  of  milk  and  butter,  must  listen  to  the  story 
of  '  Rosa,'  as  told  by  her  owner,  Charles  L.  Sharp- 
less,  of  Philadelphia.  She  is  now  five  years  old,  is  solid 
creamy  fawn,  and,  combined  with  great  volume  and 
bone,  she  is  neat  in  the  head  and  neck,  with  fine  legs. 
Her  dam  was  a  small  mouse-colored  cow,  and  her  sire's 
dam  a  small  fawn-colored,  neither  of  which  would  give 
over  twelve  quarts. 

"  We  found  we  were  making  a  good  deal  of  butter, 
and  as  *  Rosa '  looked  superbly,  we  determined  to  test 
her  butter  quality.  We  fed  her  per  day  twenty  pounds 
of  hay,  eight  quarts  of  meal  and  four  quarts  of  carrots. 
The  meal  was  a  mixture  of  good  wheat  bran  and  corn- 
meal,  in  the  proportion  of  four  bushels  of  the  former  to 
one  bushel  of  the  latter.  Her  yield  the  first  day  was 
sixteen  quarts,  the  second  day  fifteen  and  a  half  quarts, 


136     THE   JERSEY,   ALDERNEY  AND    GUERNSEY  COW. 

the  third  day  sixteen  quarts,  and  the  next  morning 
eight  quarts,  being  in  all  seven  milkings,  or  half  the 
week.  Her  milk  was  kept  separate,  was  skimmed 
after  standing  thirty-six  hours,  and  made  six  and  three- 
quarter  pounds  of  butter,  or  thirteen  and  a  half  pounds 
for  the  week. 

"  As  you  place  Rosa  and  Duchess  side  by  side  there 
are  some  points  of  agreement  and  of  difference  that  are 
of  interest  to  notice.  They  are  both  wedge-shaped, 
with  large  body — Duchess  the  more  bony,  but  Rosa 
with  the  greater  rear  volume  (broader  hips,  etc.).  They 
both  have  neat  heads  and  necks  and  fine  bone.  Duch- 
ess is,  in  winter,  smoke-color  with  brilliant  white,  but 
not  with  black  points ;  she  has  yellow  hoofs  and  skin, 
and  her  udder  is  rich  yellow.  Rosa  has  yellow  hoofs, 
but  a  pale  skin  and  udder,  and  would  be  called  a  butter 
cow  inferior  to  Duchess,  and  yet  she  has  just  proved 
herself  one-half  pound  greater.  The  color  of  it  is  the 
deepest — no  coloring  matter  being  used.  This  upsets 
the  theory  that  a  yellow  skin  Is  necessary  for  deep- 
colored  butter ;  and  loth  as  one  is  to  believe  it,  the  yel- 
low skin  must  be  looked  upon  as  ornamental  rather 
than  essential.  Perhaps  a  safer  way  to  put  it  is,  that 
though  a  rich  yellow  skin  is  evidence  of  butter  quality, 
yet  equally  good  quality  may  come  from  a  pale  skin. 

"Again,  as  to  vertical  or  rear  mirrors,  both  these 
cows  exhibit  the  broad  part  diminish  as  it  rises,  until, 
when  within  six  to  nine  inches  of  the  vulva,  it  is  re- 
duced to  the  breadth  of  not  over  an  inch  wide.     Thus 


THE   JERSEY,  ALDERNEY  AND    GUERNSEY  COW.       1 3/ 

they  agree  in  their  rear  mirrors,  and  they  agree  also  in 
udders  of  great  capacity,  these  being  deep  and  broad, 
and  running  well  forward  under  the  body. 

"  There  is  a  point  on  which  they  differ :  the  hair  on 
Duchess  is  soft  and  furry  as  a  mole,  that  of  Rosa  is 
fairly  fine,  but  still  hair. 

*'  So  that  in  a  word  one  can  say,  soft  hair,  a  large  mir- 
ror and  a  yellow  skin  are  desirable,  but  there  may  be 
choice  cows  not  conspicuous  for  either. 

"To  show  how  we  sometimes  let  our  best  animals 
slip,  I  will  add  diat  when  Rosa  was  a  heifer  I  was 
tempted  to  part  with  her  for  what  seemed  a  great  price 
— ^500.  In  about  two  weeks  she  had  a  heifer  calf,  for 
which  her  owner  was  offered  $150.  When  three  years 
old  she  had  a  second  heifer  which  he  sold  for  ^180,  and 
when  four  years  old  she  had  a  third  heifer  calf,  which 
he  sold  for  gioo.  He  then  sold  his  place  and  all  his 
stock,  and  I  bought  her  at  public  sale  for  $375  for  her 
beauty.  Her  pale  skin  deceived  me  as  to  her  butter 
quality,  and  her,  as  I  thought,  deficient  mirror  misled 
me  as  to  her  large  yield.  She  now,  as  a  five-year  old, 
has  her  fourth  calf,  which  is  a  bull  and  some  two  months 
old. 

"  In  giving  above  her  yield,  I  gave  also  her  feed. 
vSuch  is  her  constitution  and  appetite  that  I  think  she 
would  have  eaten  half  as  much  more,  and  in  that  way 
her  yield  might  have  been  very  much  increased.  It 
was  good  enough  as  it  was,  particularly  as  there  have 
been   choice   cows  so  forced  that,  though  the  premium 

18 


138      THE   JERSEY,  ALDERNEY  AND    GUERNSEY  COW. 

was  won,  the  cow  was  lost.  The  winter  yield,  on  dry 
feed,  of  sixteen  quarts,  is  considered  equivalent  to 
eio^hteen  on  ofrass." 

It  would  seem  a  convenient  method  for  a  purchaser 
of  a  cow,  who  wished  to  approximate  at  least  to  the 
amount  of  butter  she  would  yield  in  a  week,  to  arrive 
at  it  by  knowing  the  number  of  quarts  of  milk  given  in  a 
day ;  and  we  have  been  hoping  for  some  acknowledged 
standard  of  estimating  this.  The  amount  of  milk  requi- 
site to  make  a  pound  of  butter  varies  from  five  to  six- 
teen quarts  in  different  animals  and  breeds.  The 
amount  of  cream  also  seems  to  vary  as  much,  though 
this  depends  greatly  on  care  in  skimming.  Jersey  cows 
usually  giving  one  pound  of  butter  for  every  six  to 
eight  quarts  of  milk,  very  good  grade  cows  ten  to 
twelve  quarts,  and  ordinary  cows  twelve  to  sixteen 
quarts. 

It  is  universally  conceded,  we  believe,  that  Jersey 
and  Guernsey  cows'  milk  requires  less  for  a  pound  of 
butter  than  any  other  breed,  circumstances  being  equal. 
Their  milk  has  been  passed  off  and  sold  as  cream. 


CHAPTER   VII. 

THE  BULL;  AND    ON  CALVLNG. 

Previously  to  entering  upon  the  subject  of  pregnant 
cows,  a  few  observations  on  the  bull  may  prove  of  great 
advantage. 

There  Is  a  notion  very  prevalent  that  frequent  bulling 
of  the  cow  will  ensure  a  calf;  experience  has  proved 
this  to  be  erroneous.  Once  Is  quite  sufficient;  but 
where  the  bull  Is  of  a  larger  kind  than  the  cow,  the 
latter  should  have  the  advantaofe  of  rislnof  ground.  On 
returning  home  the  cow  should  be  milked  and  tied  up 
tin  quiet.  Cattle  taken  to  the  bull  are  less  subject  to 
barrenness  than  those  running  with  the  bull. 

For  milking  cows  it  is  always  advisable  to  have  a  bull 
with  two  or  three  years'  advantage  of  age,  as  the  stock 
is  not  then  produced  too  large,  which  would  probably 
injure  the  womb  and  produce  barrenness.  The  heifer 
should  not  be  taken  to  the  bull  younger  than  from 
eighteen  to  twenty-one  months ;  and  after  calving,  six 
weeks  should  elapse  before  the  cow  is  bulled. 

When  the  cow  Is  heavy  In  calf — that  Is,  when  within 
about  three  months  of  the  time  of  calving — consider- 
able judgment  Is  required  as  to  her  condition.     At  this 

time  she  should  have  plenty  of  exercise,  should  walk  a 

139 


140    THE   JERSEY,  ALDERNEY  AND    GUERNSEY  COW. 

considerable  distance  to  and  from  pasture,  and  when 
there  should  have  to  get  her  own  living,  or  rather  to 
work  for  her  own  living,  if  it  may  be  so  expressed,  by 
the  feed  not  beinof  over-abundant.  Where  exercise 
cannot  be  obtained,  or  where  the  cow  is  kept  housed  or 
in  a  very  small  pasture,  she  must  be  prevented  from 
getting  too  fresh  by  a  diminution  of  the  feeding  quali- 
ties of  her  food. 

If  the  cow  continues  to  give  her  full  quantity  of  milk 
up  to  a  late  period,  there  will  be  no  danger  at  the  time 
of  calving;  but  if  she  dries  up  too  soon,  she  will  get 
too  fresh  to  be  healthy,  and  means  must  be  taken  to 
diminish  her  condition,  either  by  increasing  her  exercise 
or  diminishino^  her  food.  A  lean  cow  can  never  come 
to  harm  by  calving,  but  a  fat  one  labors  much  more; 
and  is  liable  to  break  the  blood-vessels  or  to  induce 
prolapsus,  frequently  resulting  in  death. 

With  heifers  with  their  second  calf  care  should  be 
taken  that  the  system  be  not  overtaxed,  and  they  should 
therefore  be  allowed  to  go  dr)^  sooner  than  older  cows. 

At  no  period  of  a  cow  being  in  calf  should  any  putrid 
or  offensive  matter  (such  as  pig-tubs  containing  al] 
manner  of  decayed  refuse,  or  horse-flesh  hanging  up 
for  dogs,  or  dead  animals  in  ditches  or  ponds)  be  within 
her  scent,  for  so  delicate  is  the  constitution  of  a  cow  in 
this  state  that  the  mere  smell  of  offensive  effluvia  is 
sufficient  to  make  her  slip  her  calf:  the  same  result 
may  be  produced  by  her  running  in  the  same  pasture 
with  a  cow  who  has  recently  slipped  her  calf     As  the 


THE    JERSEY,   ALDERAEY  AND    GUERNSEY  COW.      I4I 

COW  advances  In  calf  she  should  not  be  allowed  to  pas- 
ture with  strange  cattle,  as  they  would  be  likely  to  fight 
or  push  each  other  about,  and  injury  to  herself  and  the 
calf  might  ensue :  perfect  quietness  in  this  state  cannot 
be  too  much  recommended. 

When  the  period  of  calving  arrives,  the  cow  should 
be  taken  in  and  well  bedded  forward,  giving  an  easy 
declivity  to  the  hinder  parts  ;  she  should  be  disturbed 
as  little  as  possible,  but  carefully  watched.  Every  op- 
portunity should  be  given  to  Nature  to  act  spontane- 
ously, but  if  much  difficulty  appears,  the  assistance  of  a 
veterinary  surgeon  should  be  obtained  at  once. 

When  this  is  rendered  unnecessary  by  an  easy  labor, 
care  should  be  taken  to  remove  the  caul  or  bladder 
covering  the  calf's  head  as  soon  as  possible,  to  enable 
it  to  breathe ;  and  immediately  after  the  birth  compel 
the  cow  to  rise,  as  this  action  restores  the  overstrained 
parts  to  their  proper  position. 

Then  subdue  the  tendency  to  inflammation  by  imme- 
diately withdrawing  the  milk. 

In  some  counties  an  erroneous  custom  prevails  of 
giving  the  cow  her  own  milk  to  drink  just  after  calving, 
but  this  is  an  exploded  and  almost  superstitious  custom 
which  should  never  be  followed. 

If  the  cow  appears  strong  after  calving,  avoid  giving 
her  drenches,  which  produce  disgust  and  do  no  good. 

If  medicine  appears  necessary,  let  it  be  given  under 
the  direction  of  the  veterinary  surgeon. 

In  all  the  numerous  cases  that  have  fallen  under  my 


142       THE   JERSEY,   ALDERNEY  AND    GUERNSEY  COW. 

management,  I  have  never  had  one  occasion  to  give  a 
single  drench.  My  system  is  to  give  the  cow  a  warm 
bran-mash  with  plenty  of  chilled  water,  not  too  warm, 
which  treatment  has  always  proved  successful. 

If  the  cow,  after  calving,  should  not  milk  down  well, 
the  udder  should  be  fomented  with  warm  water. 

In  a  small  practical  work  of  this  nature  it  would  be 
useless  to  enter  at  length  upon  the  diseases  of  cows ;  a 
few  hints  will  be  much  better  than  a  dry  dissertation. 
No  information  that  could  be  here  imparted  would  be 
of  any  use  in  the  absence  of  experience.  It  will  be  only 
necessary,  therefore,  to  give  some  account  of  the  symp- 
toms that  usually  indicate  disease  either  in  existence  or 
in  embryo. 

The  first  symptom  usually  is  the  shrinking  of  the 
milk ;  the  second  symptom  is  a  rough  and  staring  ap- 
pearance of  the  coat,  hollowness  of  the  eyes  and  a  want 
of  moisture  at  the  nose.  What  is  called  a  chill  is  easily 
discovered  by  pressing  with  the  hand  on  the  back  any- 
where behind  the  shoulders,  which  act  Vv^ill  cause  the 
cow  to  shrink  if  she  Is  not  in  good  health. 

Nothing  but  knowledge  and  experience  will  justify 
the  attempt  to  physic  the  cow  without  the  advice  of  the 
veterinary  surgeon ;  and  it  must  be  borne  in  mind  that 
the  object  of  this  lltde  book  is  to  instruct  In  the  man- 
agement of  milch  cows  alone,  and  not  to  enter  upon 
the  management  and  treatment  of  the  various  other 
classes  of  animals. 


THE   JERSE  Yy  ALDER NE  Y  AND  G UERNSE  Y  CO  W.       I43 

SCALE  OF  POINTS  FOR  JERSEY  COWS. 

Adopted  by  the  American  Jersey  Cattle  Club,  April  21,  18  y 3. 
Article.  Pojnts^ 

1.  Head  small,  lean  and  rather  long 2 

2.  Face  dished,  broad  between  the  eyes,  narrow  between  the  horns i 

3.  Muzzle  dark,  encircled  by  a  light  color I 

4.  Eyes  full  and  placid I 

5.  Horns   small,  crumpled,  and  amber  color ^ 

6.  Ears  small  and  thin I 

7.  Neck   straight,   thin,   rather    long,   with    clean    throat,    not    heavy   at 

shoulders a 

8.  Shoulders  sloping  and  lean ;  withers  thin ;  breast  neither  deficient  nor 

beefy -» 

9.  Back  level  to  the  setting-on  of  tail,  and  broad  across  the  loin 4 

10.  Barrel  hooped,  broad  and  deep  at  the  flank 8 

11.  Hips  wide  apart  and  fine  in  the  bone;   rump  long  and  broad 4 

12.  Thighs  long,  thin  and  wide  apart,  with  legs  standing  square,  and  not  to 

cross  in  walking 4 

13.  Legs  short,  small  below  the  knees,  with  small  hoofs , , 3 

14.  Tail  fine,  reaching  the  hocks,  with  good  switch 3 

15.  Hide  thin  and  mellow,  with  fine  soft  hair 4 

16.  Color  of  hide  where  the  hair  is  white,  on  udder  and  inside  of  ears, 

yellow , t 

17.  Fore -udder  full  in  form,  and  running  well  forward 8 

18.  Hind-udder  full  inform,  and  running  well  up  behind 8 

19.  Udder  free  from  long  hair,  and  not  fleshy c 

20.  Teats  rather  large,  wide  apart,  and  squarely  placed 6 

21.  Milk-veins  prominent t 

22.  Escutcheon  high  and  broad,  and  full  on  thighs 8 

23.  Disposition  quiet  and  good-natured 3 

24.  General  appearance,  rather  bony  than  fleshy 6 

Perfection 100 

In  judging  Heifers,  omit  Nos.  17,  18  and  21. 

In  judging  Bulls,  omit  Nos.  17,  18,  19,  21,  and  make  moderate  allowance 
for  masculinity. 

Note. — It  is  recommended  that  Judges  at  Fairs  do  not  award  prizes  to 
animals  falling  below  the  minimum  standard — viz.,  cows,  70  counts  j  heifers, 
55  counts;  bulls,  50  counts. 


144       THE   JERSEY,  ALDERNEY  AND  GUERNSEY  COW, 


Points. 

Quality  of 
Milk. 


Quantity 

and 
Duration 
of  Flow. 


Size  and 
Substance. 


30 


SCALE  OF  POINTS  FOR  GUERNSEY  COWS. 

{^American  Gtiernsey  Cattle  Club.') 

Counts. 
Skin  deep  yellow,  in  ear,  on  end  of  bone  of  tail,  at  base  of 

horn,  on  udder  teats,  and  body  generally 20 

Skin  loose,  mellow,  with  soft,  fine  hair 10 


40 


Escutcheon   wide    on  thighs,  high  and   broad,  with  thigh 

ovals 

Milk-veins  long  and  prominent 

Udder  full  in  front 

Udder  full  and  well  up  behind 

Udder  large,  but  not  fleshy 

Udder  teats  squarely  placed 

Udder  teats  of  good  size 


16 


r  Size  for  the  breed 

Not  too  light  bone 

Barrel-round,  and  deep  at  flank. 

Hips  and  loins,  wide 

Rump  long  and  broad 

Thighs  and  withers  thin 


Symmetiy.  14- 


Back  level  to  setting-on  of  tail 

Throat  clean,  with  small  dewlap 

Legs  not  too  long,  with  hocks  well  apart  in  walking 

Tail  long  and   thin 

Horns  curved  and  not  coarse., 

Head  rather   long   and   fine,   with    quiet   and   gentle    ex- 
pression  

General  appearance 


For  Bulls  or  for  Heifers,  deduct  20  counts  for  udder. 


10 
6 
6 
8 
4 
4 
2 

5 
I 

4 
2 
2 
2 

3 

I 

2 

I 
2 

3 

2 

100 


THE   END. 

i 
J 


